Did you know?
Is the piano a string instrument or a percussion instrument? The piano is really a “hybrid”–a combination of two types. It’s a string instrument, because the musical tones originate in the strings; and it’s also a percussion instrument, because the strings are set into vibration by being struck with hammers.
What types of pianos are there? There are two basic types: Grand pianos have their strings and soundboard parallel to the floor.
Verticals (or Uprights) have their strings and soundboard turned up perpendicular to the floor. Both kinds come in different sizes and styles.
piano facts:
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88
220
Number of pedals on a piano Number of keys on the keyboard Number of strings in the piano
300 Number of years since the first piano was made
1,000
Average weight of a concert piano
12,000
Number of moving parts in a piano
quiz time 1. Q: How is the piano like a drum? A: 2. Q: How is the piano like a guitar? A: 3. Q: Who invented the first piano? A: 4. Q: What are the two types of pianos? A: 5. Q: How old is the piano? A:
quiz answers: Check the answers on page 17.
The piano is an instrument found in all parts of the world. If you think about it, almost anywhere you look, there is a piano. People have them in their homes, at school, and at places of worship — and you can even find them in shopping malls. It is hard to imagine a time before the piano, yet they were only invented 300 years ago! The piano’s history starts with the discovery that a taut, vibrating string can produce sound, and dates back to prehistoric times. The first piano was owned by the Medici family in Florence, Italy. The piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700, and the action of the piano keys was so ingeniously designed that some of its parts are still found in grand pianos today. The name “piano” is actually a shortened version of the Italian term pianoforte, meaning soft-loud, and referring to the fact that the pianoforte could produce sounds covering a much larger range than its predecessors, the harpsichord and clavichord.
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