<span>The Harpsichord was invented before the piano. A harpsichord is like a piano in that you press a key to manipulate the strings. However, in a piano, when you press the key it causes a hammer to strike the string, and when you press a key on a harpsichord it causes a plectrum to pluck the string. A plectrum is like a quill and so when you play a harpsichord it can only play one volume. On a piano, when you push a key soft it will play soft and when you push it hard it will play loud. It's original name was a piano forte which is Italian for soft/loud.
