Facts about The Piano.

 “The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colors in your mind.”

– Maria Cristina Mena

The First Piano invented

This piano was invented in Italy in 1709 by a harpsichord maker Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori. His first creation was called gravicèmbalo col piano e forte which, in Italian, means harpsichord with loud and soft. This name was later shortened to ‘fortepiano’ to then just ‘piano’. As you may already know, the harpsichord is only capable of producing sound in certain volume and expression, so having an instrument that is sensitive to touch was a game changer. The first piano invented was so expensive that even average rich families could not afford it. You could predominantly find the instrument in the homes of aristocrats and royalty for nearly a century before it became more accessible to the rest of the public. First piano was, of course, different in terms of its looks and was not quite perfected as it is today. It wasn’t until the 19th Century that these instruments were produced much like the ones you see in the present.

Sync those strings

The piano is an instrument that has 7500 parts working in synchronization to give great quality sound and soothing music for ears. All of these parts contribute to hammers sent against strings when piano keys are pressed. This section is termed as the action/working section of the piano.

How often should you tune your piano?

A new piano should be tuned four times a year and you can then move on to twice a year thereafter. Pianos also tend to stay in tune much better when they are not kept in overly damp or dry environments. Digital pianos do not need tuning; however, improper care may cause the sound to warp.

Hitting them hard!

The piano is an acoustic and stringed musical instrument! But it is considered to be a percussion instrument because it only makes a sound when a hammer hits a string!

Cleaning

If you decide to purchase an acoustic piano you must be very careful! You need to dust it every day with a dry towel because any kind of humidity can easily destroy your piano.

The most expensive piano

Designed by Canadian manufacturer Heintzman Pianos this beautiful instrument was played for the first time in front of an audience at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games by a Chinese pianist Lang Lang. The piano features a gorgeous transparent design and is called the Crystal Piano. It was later sold at an auction for $3.22 million, making it the most expensive piano in the world.

When the Digital Pianos came along

Although an acoustic piano has been around since the 1700s, a digital piano was not brought to the market until 1980! The quest for an electronic instrument, however, had begun in the 1920s and, around 30 years later, the electric piano was born. It was an acoustic instrument with a pick up that would let you amplify it and quickly gained huge popularity – the electric piano was used by famous musicians such as Ray Charles and Duke Ellington. Then, in 1960s synthesizer appeared, which then influenced many genres of music thereafter. Finally, in the 1980s, the modern digital piano was introduced as we know it today! This opened a whole world of possibilities and also solved a lot of disadvantages of acoustic pianos, allowing musicians to practice silently, amplify the instrument, save space and tuning costs.

‘King of the Musical Instruments’

The piano is called the King of Musical Instruments and, while I’m sure you will agree it is one of the best instruments you could play, there are a number of reasons behind it. The piano has the widest range of tones extending lower than a 16-foot pedal note on an organ and higher than the top note of a piccolo. Plus, it is one of the few instruments that can play accompaniment and melody at the same time, making it a complete, independent instrument. All of this in addition to the impressive size of the piano has truly earned it this title. And if that isn’t a good enough reason to learn the piano, I don’t know what is!

Start your musical journey with the king of instruments… The Piano!