5 Interesting Facts About The Piano
5 Interesting Facts About The Piano
Regardless of how long you might have been playing the piano, there’s a good chance that you might not know much about it beyond how to play it. After all, there’s already so much to learn even just when it comes to piano technique, that we can understand why you’d easily forget to learn more about the history of this instrument!
If you’re curious to find out more, though, we’ve compiled a list of interesting facts related to the piano.
Fact #1 - The piano was invented in Italy
As you’re probably already familiar with the numerous Italian words used in classical music, it might come as no surprise that the piano was first invented in Italy! More specifically, it was developed in 1709 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, a harpsichord maker appointed as the Keeper of Instruments by the Medici family.
Fact #2 - The first piano had no pedals
At the start, the piano was designed differently from how it looks today. For example, it had no pedals! In fact, these were invented only much later, and the pedals in Americus Backers’ grand piano from 1772 are believed to be the first pedals used in a piano.
Initially, the piano had hand stops that needed to be manually operated with one hand while playing to mimic the effect of the modern-day pedals. These were subsequently replaced with knee levers in 1765 which, as you can guess, allowed the pianist to apply the ‘pedal effect’ with their knees rather than hands.
I think we can consider ourselves lucky that pedals were invented and made piano playing infinitely easier!
Fact #3 - The most expensive piano sold for $3.4 million
Don’t worry, this is far from the average price for a piano! The most expensive one recorded is a piece of film history, featuring in the film Casablanca, which is exactly what helped inflate its price. The second most expensive piano sold for $3.2 million and was made entirely from crystal by Heintzman, only played once in public at the Beijing Olympics of 2008.
Fact #4 - The piano is both a percussion & string instrument
Pianists have long debated whether pianos are a percussion or string instrument and, ultimately, they can fall into both categories. It produces its sounds with strings, therefore making it a ‘string instrument’, but the fact that it does so by using hammers to hit said strings classifies it as a ‘percussion instrument’.
Fact #5 - The piano is the most popular instrument in the world
This probably seems obvious to us who love the piano so much, but this instrument is the most popular in the world. From handy and portable keyboards to majestic grand pianos, it’s a very accessible instrument to learn. The easy-to-understand keyboard layout also makes it a less daunting instrument to pick up for both adults and kids.
We hope that this blog has shed light on at least one new fact that you didn’t know previously and, as always, that it’s made you even more excited to explore the fantastic world of piano learning. Keep practicing and, when you have time, don’t be afraid to go outside of your usual studies and read more about what has made the piano such a popular and beloved instrument!
