The piano is a musical instrument that a person plays by pressing the keys on a keyboard. The keys are linked to felt covered hammers that are caused to strike metal strings when the key is depressed. A mechanism ensures that upon striking the strings the hammers are immediately released, which allows the strings to continue to vibrate at their resonant frequency.
After the pianist presses the key, a part inside the piano stops the sound from reverberating. While the key sounds, it transmits to the soundboard which amplifies the sound of the keys. The piano player is able to play different pitches depending on the keys played with differing degrees of loudness or softness and the duration of the notes held can be controlled by the damper pedal.
Most Western style music use the piano for piano performances only, with other musicians and singers as an accompanist, or with orchestras inspired pieces. It is the main instrument that composers and conductors use to compose and convey melodies and pieces. It is one of the most universally accepted and revered instruments throughout the world today.
The word piano is an abbreviation of the Italian word pianoforte, a rather formal and archaic word which means 'soft and loud'. It expresses the gradation of tone that the instrument produces. By association, the word piano has been taken over to denote the instrument whose original Italian name, clavicembalo, refers to the instrument's fidelity and responsiveness to any touch on the keyboard.
The original model for the piano is the much older stringed instrument known as the harp, the earliest versions of which were designed and used in ancient Greece centuries before the birth of Christ. At some point, a musically minded inventor conceived of the idea that instead of plucking the strings on a harp with the fingers as was traditionally done, it was also possible to devise a means of plucking the strings mechanically. It was this idea for a harp operated by mechanical keys that revolutionized music and gave rise to the first primitive keyboard.
In 1698, Cristofori began the actual steps for designing the precursor of the piano which was the harpsichord capable of soft and loud, complete with drawings and models. But the precision and quality of the instrument as we know it today was still far way off yet. Over the next few centuries, there unfolded a grand old story of experimentation, designing, innovation and refinement.
Before the proper precursor to the modern piano was invented in the early 1700s, to be able to produce the keyboard music one needed to control three separate instruments all at once. Right from its inception, the principal challenge motivating the art of piano designing has been to make the high notes louder and brighter. To this end, several improvements have been made in the standard piano design: a precisely calibrated mechanisms to control hammer swing, high tensile steel strings in place of catgut, innovations in the shape and material of hammers, advancement in the designs of resonators and fret boards to extend the instrument's range, and other crucial inventions like the double key escarpment that enables a note to be repeated even if the hammer had not regained its full resting position.
The real development of the piano occurred around the 19th century with the invention of felt hammers which helped the strings resonate better, better steel wires, and more superior frames for the sounding board. The piano was built into the upright styles in the 19th century which was a smaller version of the much larger grand piano. This change made the piano much more affordable for more families and more people had the opportunity to learn the instrument. - 15615
After the pianist presses the key, a part inside the piano stops the sound from reverberating. While the key sounds, it transmits to the soundboard which amplifies the sound of the keys. The piano player is able to play different pitches depending on the keys played with differing degrees of loudness or softness and the duration of the notes held can be controlled by the damper pedal.
Most Western style music use the piano for piano performances only, with other musicians and singers as an accompanist, or with orchestras inspired pieces. It is the main instrument that composers and conductors use to compose and convey melodies and pieces. It is one of the most universally accepted and revered instruments throughout the world today.
The word piano is an abbreviation of the Italian word pianoforte, a rather formal and archaic word which means 'soft and loud'. It expresses the gradation of tone that the instrument produces. By association, the word piano has been taken over to denote the instrument whose original Italian name, clavicembalo, refers to the instrument's fidelity and responsiveness to any touch on the keyboard.
The original model for the piano is the much older stringed instrument known as the harp, the earliest versions of which were designed and used in ancient Greece centuries before the birth of Christ. At some point, a musically minded inventor conceived of the idea that instead of plucking the strings on a harp with the fingers as was traditionally done, it was also possible to devise a means of plucking the strings mechanically. It was this idea for a harp operated by mechanical keys that revolutionized music and gave rise to the first primitive keyboard.
In 1698, Cristofori began the actual steps for designing the precursor of the piano which was the harpsichord capable of soft and loud, complete with drawings and models. But the precision and quality of the instrument as we know it today was still far way off yet. Over the next few centuries, there unfolded a grand old story of experimentation, designing, innovation and refinement.
Before the proper precursor to the modern piano was invented in the early 1700s, to be able to produce the keyboard music one needed to control three separate instruments all at once. Right from its inception, the principal challenge motivating the art of piano designing has been to make the high notes louder and brighter. To this end, several improvements have been made in the standard piano design: a precisely calibrated mechanisms to control hammer swing, high tensile steel strings in place of catgut, innovations in the shape and material of hammers, advancement in the designs of resonators and fret boards to extend the instrument's range, and other crucial inventions like the double key escarpment that enables a note to be repeated even if the hammer had not regained its full resting position.
The real development of the piano occurred around the 19th century with the invention of felt hammers which helped the strings resonate better, better steel wires, and more superior frames for the sounding board. The piano was built into the upright styles in the 19th century which was a smaller version of the much larger grand piano. This change made the piano much more affordable for more families and more people had the opportunity to learn the instrument. - 15615
About the Author:
J. Simon submits reviews for Play Piano Guide, a website that reviews online piano lessons. Many students admire the piano as history of piano has a colorful history.
