Piano Facts

The piano has been a part of musical history for centuries now, which means that there
are numerous piano facts floating around the world. To find out more about this beloved
instrument, keep reading ...

When it comes to piano facts, the very first thing that comes to most people’s minds is
the large, and incredibly impressive, concert hall grand pianos. Christie’s Auction House
once sold a Victorian Steinway grand piano for a whopping $1.2 million dollars. Who
was the lucky bidder? The piano is now part of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art
Institute of Williamstown, Massachusetts. Of course, it is hard to talk about any type of
impressive grand piano without mentioning the name “Steinway,” but did you know that
Steinway wasn’t always the name of the original founder?

That’s right, that great piano brand name that most of us recognize today was
originally founded by Englehard Steinweg. Steinweg wanted a name that sounded more
American, so he changed his name to Steinway in 1853. The year 1997 marked the 50th
anniversary of this magnificent company, and they are still producing top quality pianos
to the very day. From Steinway’s to Yamaha’s the piano is truly an impressive
instrument, but why are we in such awe of this oddly shaped box?

The piano is known throughout musical circles as “The King of Instruments,” due to its
impressive range and its miraculous ability to create both melody and accompaniment
simultaneously. This instrument also happens to be the largest instrument out there (with
the exception of the pipe organ), and it produces one of the most fascinating sounds. So,
how does this instrument produce so many glorious notes? Most pianos have around 230
strings, and each string has around 165 pounds of tension – now that’s one of the most
impressive piano facts around!

If you should decide to purchase this worthwhile instrument, make sure that you take
good care of your piano. On average, a new piano should be tuned four times per year,
and two times every year after that. Should you buy your very own piano, you will not be
alone – there are more than 10 million pianos throughout American homes and other
establishments.

These piano facts are really quite amusing, though there are many more interesting tidbits
regarding pianos throughout history. Nearly every president has kept a piano in the White
House, and many other famous pianos have wound up in museums. A piano is a
worthwhile investment since it never loses value, and it is also something that many
generations will cherish.
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most
popular instruments in the world. Widely used in Classical music for solo performances,
ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an
aid to composing and rehearsal. Although not portable and often expensive, the piano's
versatility and ubiquity have made it one of the world's most familiar musical
instruments.

Pressing a key on the piano's keyboard causes a felt-covered hammer to strike steel
strings. The hammers rebound, allowing the strings to continue vibrating at their resonant
frequency.[1] These vibrations are transmitted through a bridge to a sounding board that
more-efficiently couples the acoustic energy to the air. The sound would otherwise be no
louder than that directly produced by the strings. When the key is released, a damper
stops the string's vibration. See the article on Piano key frequencies for a picture of the
piano keyboard and the location of middle-C. According to the Hornbostel-Sachs method
of music classification, pianos are grouped with chordophones.

The word piano is a shortened form of the word pianoforte, which derives from the
original Italian name for the instrument, clavicembalo [or gravicembalo] col piano e
forte (literally harpsichord capable of playing at the normal level, and more strongly).
The musical terms "piano" and "forte" are usually interpreted as "soft" and "loud", but
this is not strictly what they mean in Italian. "Piano" means here a plane or level,
suggesting the normal level of playing. "Forte" would mean a stronger, more powerful
level of playing, effectively louder than usual. This refers to the instrument's
responsiveness to keyboard touch, which allows the pianist to produce notes at different
dynamic levels by controlling the inertia with which the hammers hit the strings.