We were striving to keep 'Big Small' stripped down, but when we recorded them with the vocal harmony and piano, it felt like it gave the song a more concrete picture without sacrificing any of the original hopes.

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That passion drove him to stick with the piano, even when he felt like skipping lessons to play tennis instead.

WHITEHOUSE: White House Workshop: Classical Music

"Somebody could have dropped a piano on my head, and I probably wouldn't have felt it, " Chynna Phillips told the magazine.

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Piano keys each have three strings that, when struck by a felt-covered hammer, make a musical sound. (The exceptions are the bass keys, which have either two strings or one.) Pressing the soft pedal shifts the hammers so only two of the three strings are touched, giving the piano a much softer tone.

WSJ: When Two Makes Perfect | By Byron Janis