You may have spent months and years practicing and playing piano with all your mind and heart revolving around spell-bounding music from piano but there are some interesting facts that you might not be aware of related to this beautiful instrument. Piano without any doubts is an incredibly musical instrument and it has greatly contributed to different genres of music. It has been transformed in to various forms starting from grand to upright to digital pianos and then keyboards and synthesizers. But here are some interesting details about this instrument that not many may have known.
Facts Related to Piano
- Piano is an instrument that has 7500 parts working in synchronization to give great quality sound and soothing music for ears. All of these parts contribute to hammers sent against strings when piano keys are pressed. This section is termed as the action/working section of piano.
- This simple instrument in actuality is not really simple. It has more than 12,000 parts from which 10,000 parts are moving. It is about presence of these many moving parts that piano needs to undergo the process of tuning multiple times within a year.
- When you buy a new piano, it needs to be tuned for at least 4 times during its first year of use. With changes in temperature and weather condition, piano may go out of tune. But after its first year, piano would need tuning for at least two times a year.
- Main process of piano involves hammer striking against strings producing noise that creates a melody for your ears. Thus the sound is produced with hammers hitting the strings. Even though the piano has strings throughout its structure but for its sound production mechanism that uses hammers, it is placed among the group of percussion instrument.
- A piano needs 230 strings that contribute to a full range of sound and these strings bear more than 30 tons of pressure when concert grand is concerned. Even in some standard pianos, this tension sums up to 20 tons.
- The term Grand was first used back in 1777 and the oldest piano in Britain was made by Americus Backers in 1772. This piano is known to be the oldest homemade piano.
- The word piano is actually derived from pianoforte which is the name of a small Italian instrument. The term piano means quietly and forte means So the instrument is named piano so that it could be played to produce soothing and calm sound/music.
- Piano undoubtedly is the most versatile instrument in its family and is truly termed as the king of instruments. A pianist can play the lowest range of tones to the highest range of tones with this instrument. Even it is capable of producing a complete orchestra sound with its widest range of tones. Piano is one of those instruments that can play melody and accompaniment at the same time.
- Piano does have a rich history but in comparison to other instruments, it is relatively newer instrument in the percussion family. The first piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1698 in Italy which is only 319 years from now.
- Piano keys are still referred as ivories however the fact is that since 1940 piano keys are no longer made up of ivory but are constructed with plastic.
- Average concert grand pianos have weight over 1400 pounds and are 8 feet and 11 inch in height that makes pianist appear tiny in front of this grand instrument.
- Action of a grand piano is much faster than an upright or vertical piano as it has a repetition lever than enables the pianist to repeat note with key half way up. Whereas a vertical reset action needs to let the key completely move up.
- When you opt for higher studies in music, irrespective of the instrument you choose for your majors; most of the programs will need you to take a year of lessons with piano that is one semester of studying piano.
- In the United States alone, there are more than 18 million of non-professional pianists and over 10 million of pianos.
- Steinway are making pianos since 1853 and their Grand pianos would cost you over $100,000.
- World’s largest piano was made by a New Zealand based piano tuner, Adrian Mann and this piano was 7 meters long weighing 1.4 tonnes. This 25 years old man took 4 years to build this piano.
- World’s most expensive piano has a beautiful transparent design and is thus termed as the Crystal Piano. It was designed by Heintzman Pianos, a Canadian manufacturer and was presented to audience by a Chinese pianist Lang Lang at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. This piano was then sold for $3.22 million at an auction.
- Can you think of a piano made up of ice! It is true that in 2004 at the 20th edition of the International Festival of Ice Sculpture, a piano was presented that was made up of ice completely.
- Over the last century, there have been more than 5000 piano models introduced in the market. Most of them can be still witnessed being used at homes, schools, churches and other places.
- Various research and studies say that pianists have efficiently working brains better than others. Also it is revealed that children learning piano do better at their schools. This is in relation with their attribute of learning the language of music, discipline of practices, better hand-eye coordination, and creativity and enhanced socializing skills.
Conclusion:
There are many other interesting facts about piano too and knowing these facts would boost up your interest towards this impressive instrument. Thus piano is not only a tool that creates amazing music but there are some other amazing characteristics in the form of facts associated with the existence and development of piano through decades.
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