Pianos are extremely complex orchestral instruments. Next time you are performing your finest piano melody think about these little gems of wisdom:
1. Pianos are technically a string instrument.
2. The typical acoustic piano has over 2,500 parts.
3. An accomplished pianist can perform 14 trills/ second on a grand piano, but only 7 trills/ second on an upright piano keyboard. This is due to the presence of a special repetition lever in the grand piano, which allows for more speed and control.
4. Pianos were first described somewhere between 1709 and 1711 in Italy. The exact year of invention is not known, but is approximated at 1709. The inventor was Bartolomeo Cristofori who was employed by the Medici family as an expert harpsichord maker.
5. Pianos were initially created in the form of harpsichords, similar in shape to the grand piano.
6. The piano industry has 15 manufacturers in the United States, although Japan leads the world in the production of pianos.
7. Yamaha pianos are made and then acclimatized to the temperature they will be situated in before leaving the factory. They are then sealed up in a hermetic bag and kept in these conditions.
8. Modern piano keyboards generally have 88 keys. Older pianos have only 85 keys.
9. Digital pianos were invented in the 1980's.
10. Henry Steinway (later the owner of Steinway and Sons) made his first piano in his kitchen in Germany.
11. There is a grand piano in the Yamaha catalog called the "Elton John Red". Yep, you guessed it, it is red.
12. The term "piano" originates from the Italian word pianoforte, which stems from "gravicembalo col piano e forte", literally meaning a harpsichord with soft and loud.
13. In the mid 19 th century, classical piano music composers such as Liszt and Chopin were writing music that was beyond the scope of the pianos that were in existence at that stage.
14. The Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on the piano industry. Steel became available for piano strings and more accurate iron frames could be produced.
15. In 1790 pianos only had 5 octaves. How frustrating for Mozart! 6 octaves were created in 1810, which Beethoven was able to put to good use in his later compositions. 7 octaves made their appearance in 1820. By 1860, piano keyboards had at least 71/2 octaves.
16. Today's concert grand pianos and upright grand pianos have not changed their shape significantly since the end of the 19 th century.
17. A well tuned upright piano that has received ongoing piano maintenance will play more smoothly than a non-maintained grand piano that is older.
18. Grand pianos give the player piano improved playing control because the piano hammers utilize gravity in their return.
19. Some styles of electronic keyboards currently available with the full 88 piano keyboard are Conservatorium approved in various parts of the world for piano preparations for piano exams.
20. Pianos are "parlor utensils used for subduing the impenitent visitor. They are operated by depressing the keys of the machine and also the spirits of the audience". An anonymous quote. Would anyone be brave enough to admit to those sentiments?
