The piano is one of the most difficult musical instruments to learn to play. After over 300 years of changes and development, there are many fun piano facts to learn.
The piano is one of the most complex and interesting musical instruments. It has been mesmerizing people across the world for centuries and will continue to do so.
In this guide, we are going to take a closer look at some of these fun facts that you might not know about the piano.
16 Fun Piano Facts
From the harpsichord to the acoustic piano to the modern digital keyboard – the piano underwent many changes over the past three centuries.
It’s unimaginable how much more the traditional piano is yet to develop. But one thing is clear – this musical instrument has a deep history that is fascinating to explore.
Let’s take a look at some of the most fun facts about the piano and how it changed over time.
1. The Harpsichord Birthed the Piano Concept
The harpsichord is the older version of the modern-day piano. This device had a similar design to a grand piano with a large boxy design and several keys that you can push down to produce sound.
While the harpsichord sounds quite charming, it did have a couple of drawbacks. One of these drawbacks was the fact that musicians couldn’t control the volume of notes.
This made it very hard for musicians to produce quieter sounds for a more soothing feel or louder notes for a more dramatic impact.
2. The First Piano was Developed in 1700
The first piano was invented by a harpsichord maker, Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy in 1700. Bartolomeo Cristofori lived from 1655 to 19731 and made countless harpsichords in his lifetime.
He also developed two different types of keyboard instruments, the spinet, and the oval spinet, before he started working on the piano design.
Throughout his life, he discovered that musicians struggled to control the volume and intensity of musical notes on the harpsichord. For this reason, he developed an upgraded version of the harpsichord and spinet – the piano.
Cristofori developed the first working piano in 1700. In 1709, he perfected the piano and called it the “gravicembalo col piano e forte” which means, “harpsichord with soft and loud notes.” By 1711, he developed three working pianos.
3. The Piano was Once Called Pianoforte
Bartolomeo Cristofri called his piano the “gravicembalo col piano e forte”. This name was later shortened to “pianoforte” or “fortepiano.”
Pianoforte was a common name for the piano because it described the popular instrument very well. This stringed instrument was designed to be played very softly (piano) or could be played very loud (forte).
The name was significant and a huge marketing strategy since few musical instruments could be played softly and loudly at this time.
Over time, the name pianoforte was shortened until everyone simply started referring to this musical instrument as the piano.
4. The First Piano had 54 Keys
A modern full-sized piano has 88 keys but the first pianos created by Cristofori and other developers had fewer keys. Cristofori’s piano only had 54 keys.
Today, you can still find 54 key digital pianos often used by piano players looking for a portable solution.
5. Piano Keys Used to be Made From Ivory
Nearly all piano keys on modern piano instruments are made from plastic or synthetic ivory. But before the 1970s, keys were made from different materials, and the materials varied for different locations.
Many older pianos used to consist of ivory keys with ivory covering the top part of the keys. Ivory was used to enhancing the aesthetics and value of pianos even though they tended to chip and discolor over the years. Some believe that ivory was used because it offered a superior grip and always felt cool to the touch.
Piano makers stopped using ivory because of the expense and difficulty of locating this material. In the 20th century, the use of ivory in piano keyboards was banned in an attempt to protect elephants who were being hunted for their tusks.
6. A Piano Should be Tuned Every Time you Move
When you move a piano to a different location, you will need to get it re-tuned. This is because the bumps on the road and higher humidity levels of the moving truck can cause parts to swell or loosen up. Re-tuning is required even if the moving truck is climate controlled because the different humidity levels of the new location can also cause some parts inside the piano to swell which can affect the sound.
After moving the piano to its new location, you will have to wait at least a week before getting it re-tuned. This will give the piano time to settle and acclimate to its new surroundings.
7. Some Pianos Could Play Themselves
Between the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, it was popular to have a piano that could play all on its own.
These were known as mechanical pianos, player pianos, or self-playing pianos and they were not electrical at all. Instead, these pianos were designed with a pneumatic mechanism or an electro-mechanical mechanism. Some of these pianos were powered by food treadles that pumped air through the machine to allow it to function.
These historic pianos were programmed pre-recorded on perforated paper or on metallic rolls. When the air went through the holes in the rolls it caused a pneumatic device to hit a specific key.
There were quite a few different types o these self-playing pianos like split stack control pianos, theme control pianos, isolated theme pianos, expression player pianos, and reproducing pianos that all had different ways to function.
It is quite stunning to view such a piano in action but seeing those keys move all on their own can be a little bit eerie.
Player pianos declined in popularity when the phonograph got more advanced and started taking over the market.
8. Digital piano Didn’t Arrive until 1980
Digital pianos, or electronic keyboards, can be found in nearly every music store and there is a huge variety to choose from. But these devices weren’t available to consumers until the 1980s.
Electronic musical instrument manufacturers first started producing instruments in the 1920s. The first electronic instrument was the Theremin, which was invented in 1920. The first electric piano was invented 30 years later and quickly became popular when famous musicians started playing these instruments.
The modern version of the affordable digital piano we all know and love today was developed in the 1980s. This piano transformed the world of music and enabled average and even lower-income families to invest in this musical instrument and learn to play.
9. The 108-Key Piano has the Largest Note Range
The 108-key piano produced by Stuart and Sons holds the world record for the musical instrument with the largest note range. This piano has nine octaves and is only played by advanced musicians.
The standard 88-key piano also has a wide range of octaves. The guitar and violin, for example, only have a four-octave range while a standard piano has seven octaves.
10. Piano Key Colors Used to be Reversed
We all identify pianos by their long white keys and shorter black keys at the top. It is unclear when this color range became a standard in pianos.
When the piano was first developed, the keys were reversed. In the 18th century, the piano keys looked a lot like traditional harpsichord keys with taller black keys and shorter white keys.
It is believed that this color difference makes it easier for players to identify different keys.
11. Acoustic Piano Strings Carry Lots of Tension
Traditional pianos consist of 220 – 230 steel strings. Sound is produced when a small hammer taps against these strings. The strings produce different sound waves because they are wired with different tension levels.
Each piano string holds about 168 tons of tension. The average residential piano holds up to 20 tons of tension while professional grand pianos or larger pianos can hold up to 30 tons of tension.
12. Grand Pianos Have More Than 200 Strings
Piano sounds are produced when a small hammer hits a tension-bearing string or music wire. What most people don’t realize is that every note on the piano can have more than one string.
Most grand and baby grand pianos have about 230 strings and certain keys have more strings than others.
The bass keys of the piano have fewer strings compared to middle and treble range strings. Low Bass A notes usually only have one string while Bass F to middle C usually have two strings and higher notes have three strings. The more strings in a note, the higher the sound quality and volume of the notes become.
The hammer locations of the different keys can also differ in height. These hammers are designed to hit different locations on the string to produce different notes.
13. The World’s Biggest Piano is 1.925 Meters Long
The world record holder for the largest piano in the world is woodworker Daniel Czapiewski from Poland. This manufacturer produced a black piano that consisted of 156 keys and measured 2.495m (8ft 2 inches) x 6.07m (19ft 10in) x 1.925 m (6ft 3m). The piano was played at a concert in Szymbark on December 20, 2010, and there is only one of its kind.
14. John Lennon’s Piano Was Sold for £1.45 million
Pianos are usually quite expensive. Even digital pianos can fetch a pretty high price. One of the most expensive pianos ever was sold for £1.45 million on October 17, 2000, in the United Kingdom. This Steinway Model Z upright piano belonged to John Lennon and was purchased by George Michael.
15. The Crystal Piano is One of the Most Luxurious Pianos
Crystal pianos were first designed and developed by the Canadian manufacturer Heintzman Pianos. These transparent pianos often feature acrylic detailing with clear legs, clear lids, and clear musical stands while the rest of the grand piano is manufactured from wood.
Crystal pianos are luxury items that are sold at an entry-level price of around $50,000 and can usually reach a price of up to $850,000.
One particular crystal piano, the Heintzman Crystal piano, was built for the Beijing Olympic games and played by Chinese acclaimed pianist Lang Lang and was sold in an auction for $3.22 million in 2008. Currently, this is still the most expensive piano ever sold.
16. Most Pianos Depreciate in Value over Time
Some pianos can indeed hold their value over time. John Lennon’s piano is a good example of a musical instrument that dramatically increased in value. Some antique pianos might also increase in value over time if they are of a specific brand or have a deep history.
Commercial pianos can also hold their value very well if they are properly maintained or if they are fully restored every few decades. When a piano is properly repaired and restored, it can be sold at almost the same price as a brand-new piano.
In most cases, pianos depreciate. The drop in value is primarily because these instruments become worn out over time or decline in popularity or demand. This is something important to keep in mind if you are planning on buying a high-end grand piano and think that it might be resold for more in the future.
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed reading these fun piano facts and that they helped you a little bit while kicking off your musical career.
If you want to learn even more interesting facts about pianos, take a look at some of the other guides we have on Improve Piano.
With our guides, you can learn how to play specific cords on a piano, find out more about great pianos like the Casio PX860 BK Digital Piano, or you can find some great beginner piano songs to try.