You like to listen to piano music, but do not know much about this instrument? You can not help falling in love with the sound it makes? Here are 8 interesting piano facts for you!
1. Who invented the piano?
The modern-day piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori, around 1700. He named his invention gravecembalo col piano e forte (harpsichord with soft and loud).
2. What is a harpsichord?
Harpsichord is the most important predecessor of the modern piano. It plucks the strings and does not allow to differentiate in soft and loud volume.
3. How many keys a piano has?
Modern pianos have 88 keys. This allows to play seven full octaves.
4. Why is a piano so expensive?
It takes a whole year to dry the woods for the body. A piano, although it may seem a simple device, has close to 12 thousand parts (most of them moving parts) and it takes a full year to build one.
5. How strong a piano must be?
The inner structure of the piano is iron-cast, this way it can stand the pressure of the strings. A typical piano has approx. 230 strings, making 18 tons of pressure. A grand piano for concerts can have 30 tons of pressure.
6. What piano pedals do?
A piano has three pedals. The right pedal lifts the dumpers allowing the strings to resonate freely. The left pedal shifts the hammers sideways, this way hitting only one of the two (or three) strings. The middle pedal (sostenuto) sustains only those keys that are pressed down.
7. How to tune a piano?
Most instruments can be tuned by their owners, but for a piano one needs a professional tuner. It requires special tools and tuning system (temperament).
8. Did Haydn or Mozart play a piano?
No, both famous composers played the harpsichord as piano was invented a bit later. It was Beethoven, as the first heavy weight composer, who utilized the possibilities of a piano. It is safe to say it was Beethoven’s favorite musical instrument!
