Piano

A piano is a keyboard instrument that makes sound when its keys are pressed. Pressing a key activates an action mechanism, where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, with the exception of the Bosendörfer and Stuart & Sons pianos. The keys are tuned to a chromatic scale in equal temperament. A musician who specializes in the piano is called a pianist. This article is about the musical instrument. For the early version of the instrument, see Fortepiano. For other uses, see Piano (disambiguation) and Pianoforte (disambiguation). A recording of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, first prelude, is played by Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka.

There are two main types of piano: the grand piano and the upright piano. The grand piano has better sound and more precise key control, so it is the preferred choice when there is enough space and money. It is also considered necessary in places that host skilled pianists. The upright piano is more commonly used because it is smaller and costs less.

When a key is pressed, wooden hammers covered in felt strike the strings inside. The vibrations travel through a bridge to a soundboard, which makes the sound louder by coupling the acoustic energy to the air. When the key is released, a damper stops the string from vibrating and ends the sound. Most notes have three strings, although the bass notes have one or two. Notes can be sustained after the keys are released by using pedals at the base of the instrument, which lift the dampers off the strings. The sustain pedal lets pianists connect and layer sounds to create expressive and colorful tones. In the 19th century, Romantic music trends influenced the fortepiano, which changed in ways such as the use of a cast iron frame. This allowed much greater string tension. Aliquot stringing gave grand pianos a more powerful sound, a longer sustain, and a richer tone.

The piano is widely used in classical, jazz, traditional and popular music. It appears in solo and ensemble performances, as accompaniment, and in composing, songwriting and rehearsals. Even though it is heavy and expensive, the piano's versatility, the training musicians receive, and its availability in venues, schools, and rehearsal spaces have made it a familiar instrument in the Western world.

History

Main article: Fortepiano

Further information: Innovations in the piano

The piano grew out of earlier keyboard instruments and string instruments. The earliest known keyboard instrument was the ancient Greek hydraulis, a type of pipe organ invented in the third century BC. Pipe organs helped builders learn how to make keyboard parts that produce pitches. The first string instruments with struck strings were hammered dulcimers. By the 17th century, the clavichord and harpsichord were well developed. In a clavichord, tangents strike the strings, while in a harpsichord, quills pluck them. The English word piano comes from the Italian pianoforte. The fortepiano, invented in 1700, was the second keyboard instrument that let the player change how loud and how rich in tone the sound was, depending on how hard the keys were pressed. The piano is credited to Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua, Italy. He worked for Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany as Keeper of the Instruments. He was a skilled harpsichord maker, and he named his instrument after cypress wood, soft and loud.

Cristofori's great success was a keyboard instrument in which a hammer hits the string and then falls away, so the string can keep vibrating. His piano action became a model for later designs. Writer Scipione Maffei praised the instrument in 1711. Many later builders learned from his article, including Gottfried Silbermann, who added an early form of the modern sustain pedal. Johann Sebastian Bach criticized an early Silbermann piano but approved of a later one. In the late 18th century, piano making grew strong in the Viennese school. Makers included Johann Andreas Stein of Augsburg, Nannette Streicher, and Anton Walter. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his concertos and sonatas for these instruments. Today, copies of them are used in authentic-instrument performance. Between about 1790 and 1860, the piano changed a great deal during the Industrial Revolution. This made strong piano wire, casting, and iron frames possible. Piano ranges also grew from five octaves to seven. Firms such as John Broadwood, with Americus Backers, built larger pianos. These were sent to Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven. By the 1820s, Paris was the center of new ideas. Pleyel made pianos for Frédéric Chopin, and Érard made pianos for Franz Liszt. Érard's double escapement action, which was improved by Henri Herz, became standard in grand pianos. Jean-Henri Pape introduced felt hammer coverings. The sostenuto pedal was invented by Jean-Louis Boisselot and copied by Steinway. Strong cast iron frames, which sit on the soundboard and hold back string tension, were developed in Boston by Alpheus Babcock. Chickering & Mackays patented a full iron frame for grand pianos. Makers also tried composite and forged metal frames. In Birmingham, makers began using cast steel piano wire. Changes in stringing, such as replacing agraffes and using cross-stringing, made the sound stronger and richer. Some makers, including Pascal Taskin, Collard & Collard, and Julius Blüthner, added extra strings through Aliquot stringing to strengthen the highest notes.

Early shapes included the square piano, designed by Christian Ernst Friderici and Johannes Zumpe. It was improved by Guillaume-Lebrecht Petzold and Alpheus Babcock. Upright designs included giraffe pianos, pyramid pianos, and lyre pianos. There was also the cottage upright, made popular by Robert Wornum, the oblique upright from Roller & Blanchet, and the small spinet. Modern uprights and grand pianos took their current forms by the end of the 19th century. Today, a few acoustic pianos are also made with MIDI recording and a sound module.

Types

Modern pianos come in two basic shapes. The electric pianos and other types are described below. In a grand piano, the strings lie flat and stretch away from the keys. Grand pianos are about 1.5 to 3 metres long. Longer ones with longer strings have a bigger, richer sound. Piano strings are stiff, so their overtones, or harmonics, sound slightly sharp. This is why piano makers stretch the octaves and tune perfect fifths to sound pure. A concert grand sounds clear and singing, so large grands are used in concert halls. Smaller grands suit homes and small studios. Upright pianos are more compact, with the strings standing up and down. The smallest, the spinet, barely rises above the keys. Uprights take up less space and are popular in homes, churches, and schools.

Specialized pianos include the toy piano, which uses small metal rods instead of strings. Another is the player piano, invented in 1863 by Henri Fourneaux. It plays itself from a piano roll. Modern versions include the Bösendorfer CEUS, the Yamaha Disklavier, and the QRS Pianomation. A silent piano lets a player practise quietly. The transposing piano, invented in 1801 by Edward Ryley, lets a pianist play in a familiar key while the music sounds in another. The minipiano and the prepared piano, which has objects placed inside it, are other special types. The pedal piano has a pedal keyboard for the feet. It is often used for practising pipe organ music. Electric pianos were first developed in the late 1920s through technological advances. They use a magnetic pickup, a loudspeaker, and a keyboard amplifier. They became popular in pop and rock music. The Fender Rhodes is similar to an electric guitar. Electric pianos were also important in funk and jazz fusion. Electronic pianos use synthesizer oscillators. Digital pianos use digital audio sampling and MIDI to connect to other instruments, such as a synth module. Some software, like Pianoteq, creates sound from the physics of a played note. By the 2000s, hybrid pianos combined an acoustic piano with electronic features. They used a music sampler, SMPTE, and input/output connections.

Construction and components

A piano can have over 12,000 separate parts. Its outer rim is usually made of hardwood, often hard maple or beech, so that the flexible soundboard can vibrate well. Thin strips of wood are glued together and bent into shape. C.F. Theodore Steinway developed this method in 1880 to save time and money. A piano is heavy because it needs strong wood and thick metal. A small upright piano can weigh about 136 kg (300 lb). The largest piano sold to the public, the Fazioli F308, weighs 570 kg (1,260 lb). Piano strings are made of piano wire, a strong steel. The metal frame, called the plate, is usually cast iron. Some makers have tried aluminum plate designs, but these were not widely accepted. The action parts are mostly hardwood, though some makers have also used plastics, such as Teflon and carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

Most pianos have a soundboard made of spruce boards, because spruce is strong yet light. Cheaper pianos often use plywood instead. Piano keys were once made of sugar pine, but today they are usually made of spruce or basswood. Modern pianos have 88 keys, 52 white and 36 black, from A₀ to C₈. Some makers, such as Imperial Bösendorfer and Stuart & Sons, have added extra keys. The toy piano company Schoenhut makes smaller pianos with fewer keys. A rare double-keyboard design, the Emánuel Moór Pianoforte, was invented by Emánuel Moór. Only about 60 were made. Its design makes it easier to play pieces such as the Goldberg Variations.

Further information: Musical keyboard

Most grand pianos in the US have three pedals, while European pianos usually have two. The sustain pedal, on the right, lets notes ring longer. The soft pedal on the left makes the sound quieter and changes its tone. On grand pianos, the middle pedal is a sostenuto pedal that keeps selected notes ringing. The rare transposing piano, once owned by Irving Berlin, lets a player shift the keyboard to play music in a different key. Some pianos have extra pedals, such as the fourth pedal on Stuart and Sons and Fazioli pianos. The pedal piano lets players use their feet on a pedalboard, similar to an organ.

Mechanics

When a key is pressed, a chain of parts moves to make sound. The key lifts a part called the wippen, which pushes a jack against the hammer roller. The roller lifts a lever that carries the hammer. The key also lifts the damper. The hammer hits the wire and then falls back, so the wire can vibrate and make a sound. When the key is let go, the damper falls back onto the strings and stops the sound. A piano string is not very loud on its own, so its vibrations pass into a large soundboard. The soundboard moves the air and makes the sound louder. A string's pitch depends on three things. The shorter, thinner, and tighter the wire, the higher the pitch.

A vibrating string divides into many parts that vibrate at the same time. Each part makes its own pitch, called a partial. Waves bounce back and forth between the two ends of the string, and they combine in a process called superposition. The sound depends on how fast the wave moves (velocity), how long each wave is (wavelength), and how often it vibrates (frequency). Pressing a key harder makes the wave bigger, which makes the sound louder.

Maintenance

Pianos are big and strong, but they are also delicate. They need regular care, including tuning, so that their felt hammers and key parts work well. Old pianos can be rebuilt or repaired, and their strings will need to be replaced someday.

Tuning

Piano tuning means adjusting the tightness of the strings with a special wrench so that the notes are in tune. Guitar and violin players usually tune their own instruments, but pianists often hire a piano tuner. Pianos are usually tuned to a changed version of equal temperament. Each pitch is based on one chosen note, usually the A above middle C, which is A₄. The term A440 refers to this pitch at 440 Hz. Some just intervals are changed a little so they fit the system, and tuners use their ears to "stretch" the tuning. Tuned notes can beat, which means the sound rises and falls because two pitches are close but not exactly the same.

Playing and technique

Like other musical instruments, the piano can be played from written music, by ear, or through improvisation. Some folk and blues pianists taught themselves. In classical music and jazz, there are well-established ways to learn piano, with exams and degrees from the B.Mus. and M.Mus. to the Doctor of Musical Arts in piano. Piano technique changed as players moved from the harpsichord and clavichord to the fortepiano, and then to the modern piano. Changes in musical styles, the rise of virtuoso performers, and the growth of different schools of playing all shaped this change. Many teachers and performers say that both the body and the mind matter in piano playing. Well-known approaches come from Dorothy Taubman, Edna Golandsky, Fred Karpoff, Charles-Louis Hanon and Otto Ortmann.

Many classical composers, including Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven, wrote for the fortepiano. It was quite different from the modern piano. Composers of the Romantic movement, such as Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, Clara and Robert Schumann, Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, and Johannes Brahms, also wrote for pianos that were very different from modern pianos. Today, musicians may adjust their interpretation of historical compositions from the 17th to the 19th century. They do this to account for differences in sound or to keep up with changing performance practice.

Starting in Beethoven's later career, the fortepiano became more like the modern piano. The modern piano was widely used by the late 19th century. Modern pianos had a larger range, with around 30 more keys, reaching deeper bass and higher treble notes. Factory-made upright pianos cost less, so more middle-class people could own one. In the 19th century, pianos appeared in music halls and pubs, where a piano soloist or a small dance band entertained people. During this time, American musicians played for working-class audiences in small pubs and bars. Some of these musicians, particularly African-American composers, created new styles based on the modern piano. Ragtime music, made popular by composers such as Scott Joplin, reached a wider audience by 1900. It was quickly followed by jazz piano. New techniques were invented, including ostinato for boogie-woogie and Shearing voicing. George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue combined American jazz piano with symphonic sounds. Comping, a way of accompanying jazz singers, was shown in Duke Ellington's style. Honky-tonk music became popular in the same era. Bebop grew out of jazz, led by composer-pianists such as Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. In the late 20th century, Bill Evans mixed classical techniques with his jazz experiments. In the 1970s, Herbie Hancock found mainstream success with jazz-funk and jazz-rock.

Pianos have also been important in rock music and rock and roll. Performers such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Elton John, Ben Folds, Billy Joel, Nicky Hopkins, Rick Wakeman, Freddie Mercury and Tori Amos all played the piano. At a 2023 auction at Sotheby's in London, Mercury's Yamaha baby grand piano sold for £1.7 million ($2.1 million). He used it to compose "Bohemian Rhapsody" and other Queen songs. Sotheby's says this is a record for a composer's piano. Modernist styles have also appealed to composers writing for the modern grand piano, including John Cage and Philip Glass.

Main article: Sandaya

The piano was introduced to Burma in the mid-19th century and was quickly adopted by court musicians. They used a new "technique of interlocked fingering with both hands extending a single melodic line" to play Mahāgīta compositions. Many Burmese pianists, such as Sandayar Hla Htut and Sandayar Chit Swe, take a title from the word for piano, sandaya (Burmese).

Role

See also: Social history of the piano

The piano is an important instrument in many Western kinds of music. It can play the main tune or provide accompaniment for other instruments. Pianos can be played alone, with a singer, or with other instruments. They are used in small groups like bands and chamber music groups, and in large groups like big bands and orchestras. Many composers and songwriters are good pianists. The keyboard is a helpful way to try out multiple, independent melody lines that are played at the same time and to see how melodies and chords work together. Composers who write music for film and television often use pianos. The piano's wide range lets them try out melodies and bass lines, even if the music will later be arranged for other instruments.

Bandleaders and choir conductors often learn the piano. It is a great way to learn new pieces and songs before they lead them. Many conductors also train on the piano. This lets them play parts of the symphonies they conduct, using a piano reduction or making one from the full score. This helps them understand the music better. The piano is an important tool in music education in schools and universities. Most music classrooms and many practice rooms have one. It is used to teach music theory, music history, and music appreciation. Even music teachers who are not pianists may have a piano in their office.