Piano Basics and History
Q: How and why was the piano invented?
A: The mechanical genius Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano
around 1700. 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 sound volume covering a much
larger range than
its predecessors, the harpsichord and clavichord. To get more of the
story behind the invention and evolution of the piano, see our article
The Why of the Piano.
Q: Is the
piano a string instrument or a percussion instrument?
A: 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. To be historically
correct, it's classified as a "keyed zither" by musicologists.
Q: What types of piano are there?
A: There are two basic types: Grand pianos have their strings and
soundboard parallel to the floor, and Verticals (or Uprights) have their
strings and soundboard turned up perpendicular to the floor. Both kinds
come in different sizes and styles. Grands can be anywhere from 4 and a
half to 9 and a half feet long. Uprights can be 52 or more inches high;
around 45 inches ("studio uprights"); about 40-42 inches ("consoles");
and as low as 36-38 inches ("spinets").
Q: Why does the piano have 88 keys?
A:
Well, the piano started out
with only about 60 keys, same as the harpsichord--in fact it WAS a
harpsichord, except that the harpsichord maker Bartolomeo Cristofori (try
saying that 10 times fast!) got the bright idea of putting hammers
on one (to HIT the strings) instead of plectra (to PLUCK the
strings). So the piano was invented--this was around 1700, or maybe
a little before that.
Anyway, as composers began to
use the new instrument they started writing more and more
complicated and brilliant music for it. Pretty soon, the keyboard
had to expand in both directions. By the middle of the 19th century,
it had 85 notes--up to A--then finally they added the last three at
the top.
There's even a piano made
today--the Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand--which has 96 keys;
the bass notes go all the way down to C. It's nine-and-a-half feet
long and weighs almost a ton.
Q: How many strings does a piano
have?
A: It depends on the piano. Each note has three strings in the
treble, two strings in the tenor and part of the bass, and only one in
the very low bass. One of ours has 65 trebles (X 3=195), 12 tenor/bass (X
2=24), and 11 single low bass, so it comes out to 230. But that's a
large grand, so you need to look in your piano and count them up.
How the Piano Works
Q: How does the piano create sound?
A: When you push down a key, the mechanism inside (the action) makes a hammer go
up (in a grand) or forward (in an upright) to strike the strings. The
hammer is a round stick with a head on it (it looks something like a
real hammer), and the head is covered with very dense wool felt. When
the string vibrates it makes a musical sound; the string is
connected to a large soundboard that amplifies the sound much louder
than the string could do by itself. When you let go of the key, a felt
pad, called a damper, drops back onto the string and stops the sound
again. When you press down the right pedal with your foot it raises all
the dampers so that the strings can keep sounding.
Q: What do the pedals do and how do
they work?
A: The left (soft) pedal works differently on grands and uprights. On an
upright or 'vertical' piano--this includes spinets, consoles, studio
uprights and large uprights--the soft pedal operates a bar inside that
pushes all the hammers closer to the strings, which makes it easier to
play softer. You can watch this by opening the top of the piano and
looking down inside while you work the pedal. A grand is more complicated: the soft pedal
slides the whole action--keys and all--over to the right a little bit so
that the hammers only hit two of the three strings that are assigned to
each note (only two in the bass, and if you go down far enough there's
only one). This not only makes the sound softer, but changes the tone
somewhat as well, because you're striking those two (or one) strings
with a different part of the hammer. If you have a grand, work the soft
pedal and watch how the whole keyboard shifts back and forth.
The middle pedal was invented to be used
(and named) as a sostenuto pedal on grands, which captures only those
notes being held at the time with the fingers. On those uprights and
consoles which employ a felt muting strip, it's called the practice
pedal. Some verticals have only two pedals, and a few (e.g., the Yamaha
U3 and most Bösendorfers) have a true sostenuto mechanism. On older
uprights and consoles the middle pedal is usually a bass sustain (acting
like the right pedal but only on the bass register), or sometimes it's
simply hooked to the left pedal lever and works the device that moves
the hammers closer to the strings.
The pedal on the right is the same on
all pianos--it's called the damper pedal, because it raises the dampers.
Dampers are the wedges of felt that press on the strings to stop the
sound--each key raises its own damper when you press it down, so the
tone can keep sounding, but the pedal raises them all at once so that
ALL the strings are free at the same time. Take a look inside your piano
and watch the dampers move when you push the pedal.
Q: Is a "new" piano always better than a "used" piano?
A: Not necessarily. While several current manufacturers make fine new
pianos (Yamaha and Steinway, for example), high labor costs and
generally lesser quality of wood available today mean that an older
piano, properly rebuilt or refurbished, may well be both a better piano
and more valuable. Of course, various manufacturers' pianos have subtly
different sounds that may or may not appeal to you in the setting in
which
you intend to place a piano. Some pianos are "brighter" in tone and may
not sound their best in a room with basic gypsum board walls. Others are
more deeply resonant and might produce a more pleasing tone in that
environment. It's a matter not only of quality, but of personal taste as
well.
For example, Yamaha maintains quality with the most sophisticated tooling and efficiency you
could find anywhere; they sell more acoustical pianos than anybody
in the world. If you like the sound of a Yamaha, you've got one of the
world's top pianos; but if you don't, there's probably little point in
trying others because they all sound and feel exactly alike. The action
is perfect and the sound is brilliant, but it's not as warm a sound as
that produced by some other pianos. For more information on new
vs. used pianos, please see our article on
Piano Purchase Tips.
Q: Is a piano from a "good manufacturer" always good?
A: Again, not necessarily. In any given manufacturer's legacy or current
line there are some piano models that are more highly regarded than
others in the line. Similarly, as companies change hands over time, the
production quality may change. For example,
Mason and Hamlin used to be one of the world's great pianos, with a
wonderful singing tone and an action similar to Steinway's. But
after the Depression of the 1930s it was taken over (as were Knabe, Chickering
and others) by another corporation, which turned out a much less highly
regarded product with a great old name on it. Later, M& H was revived
by Falcone Co. of Haverhill, MA, and manufactured with integrity again,
but they have gone out of business. PianoDisc is now
manufacturing M&H pianos again to the original designs and
specifications. Most of the traditional piano
names are the products of conglomerates rather than the original
families, just as with so many other products.
Q: Should I buy a spinet piano to save space?
A: If a spinet is the only choice for you due to space
considerations, then go ahead. However, we tend to discourage buyers
from choosing spinets for several reasons. The so-called "drop action"
is a major compromise from the normal vertical piano action in that it
employs an additional lever system to 'drop' the entire mechanism down
below and behind the keys instead of above them; this is done solely for
marketing purposes, in that it enables the piano to be much lighter and
lower. But the keys are necessarily so short and the action parts so
small that it tends to be temperamental and difficult to keep in
regulation, as well as hard to control; also, the string lengths and
soundboard area are so small that the tone is poor, especially in the
bass where the low registers are extremely difficult to tune. Finally,
spinets tend to be of poorer overall quality because the products are
aimed at that segment of the market in which buyers are often more
concerned with styling and convenience than with music. A good
alternative for many people is a console piano; they are small and
relatively light, but have a direct blow action and--usually--a better
sound.
Q: Can you tell me the current value of a used piano?
A: No! Many factors, including local market, model, date of manufacture,
general condition, and reputation, among many others go into determining
the true value of a piano. We simply don't have all that information for
any given piano. If you are contemplating buying a used piano, we
strongly advise you to contact a local piano technician,
preferably one who holds the "Registered Tuner/Technician" rating from
The Piano Technicians Guild, for help in determining not only the current value in your
market, but also what the cost of needed maintenance/repair/rebuilding
might be. For definition and explanation of these terms, see our article
Maintaining Your Piano Investment.
Q: Are there some good reference sources for information on pianos
and piano value?
A: Yes, there are. We recommend that any piano owner or prospective
owner acquire a copy of an excellent and relatively inexpensive book, The Piano Book
by Larry Fine. Other good sources of information include
the Pierce Piano Atlas or online at How Old Is My Piano? Piano World.
