The piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence, Italy during the early 1700s.
Since then, the piano has been submitted to many changes. The piano is an instrument that has a
keyboard and strings. The piano is similar to the clavichord and the harpsichord, but still they all differ
from one another in the way they make sounds. In the clavichord, the strings are struck by tangents
which always touch the string. In the harpsichord, strings are plucked by quills and the piano has
strings which are struck by hammers which bounce back and allows the string to vibrate at will.
The word piano comes from Italian name gravicembalo col piano e forte, which is the original
namely given to the instrument. This name traduces to harpsichord with soft and loud, which means
the ability the piano has to produce notes at different amplifications, depending how hard you press
the keys.There are two types of pianos, which are the grand piano and the later invented upright
piano. All pianos consist of four parts, which are the case, the tailpiece, the keyboard, and the pedals.
The case contains all the strings and the devices that produce the sound. Grand pianos have
a horizontal case, while upright pianos have a vertical case. The tailpiece is made up of the strings,
the metal frame, and the soundboard. The strings are made of steel. The lower notes on the piano
contain one string per note, and as you move up the notes are composed of two and eventually three
strings, which are all pressed down by the hammer at the same time. The metal frame keeps the
strings in tension. The strings are attached to metal spikes on the metal frame at one end, and the
other end is attached to metal pieces called pins. You tune the piano by tightening or loosening these
pins. The soundboard enhances the vibration of the strings by resonance.
The keyboard is made up of white keys and black keys. A regular piano usually has 88 keys,
but this can vary. The keys on the piano use the lever-principle to function. When you press down on
one of the keys on the keyboard, the rear part of the key rises and causes the escapement to push
the hammers down, bounce off the string, and return to its position. The damper rises so the strings
can vibrate at the same time the hammer touches the string.
The piano usually has two pedals, but some can have three. The pedal to the right is the
main pedal used in playing. This pedal is used to rise the damper and extend the sound. The pedal on
the left is used to play softer.
Now a day there are hundreds of prestigious piano brand names. Some which are
Bosendorfer, Baldwin, Steinway, Boston, Kawai, Kimbal, Petrof and Yamaha. A Grand Piano has a price
range from about ,000 to about 0,000. The most expensive piano in the world is an Alma-
Tadema Steinway which, was sold in an auction in 1998 for 1.2 million dollars. The piano was bought
by Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
