The Power of the Piano

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What can appear to gleam and reflect such beauty and craftsmanship yet can be handled by a three year old. It’s sound so pure by a touch of a finger has been in existence for well over a hundred years and is the foundation for creating music. It’s black and white keys produce sounds when played correctly that can bring tears to one’s eyes, touch your heart and soul, bring hope, or even joy and laughter to an event. All of this power… lies in the piano. The piano from its creation to this very second had transformed the world of music no matter what class, talent, and ability.

To start off, the word piano is derived from the Italian word “pianoforte” which means, “quiet” and “loud” respectively (“Pianonet.com”). These words relate to how a pianist can make sounds at both volumes by the amount of velocity one presses the keys. The more velocity in which a key is struck, the louder the note sounds. Historians are not sure the exact year Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano. Prior to the piano, he produced and made other previous instruments like the harpsichord and the clavichord, which had become popular at the time (“Pianonet.com”). These instruments were the closest things to the piano and from the images you can see their influence on how the piano was created .

Figure 1

From left to right you have a: clavichord, piano, and a harpsichord. This shows clearer how similar these instruments are all to each other. The piano however has come a long way from its first creation in the early 1700s. It took less than 20 years before we already started seeing changes. Gotfried Silbermann added the first pedal to the piano. Known for his organ building he added a damper pedal (“Pianonet.com”).. However, due to the Indus...

... middle of paper ...

...er instrument. A guitar requires the right way to strum it, the drums requires hand –eye coordination and the organ requires you to use your foot and hands to play. The piano through its own transformation – transformed music, and it will never be the same.

Works Cited

Estrella, Espie. "Different Types of Pianos." Piano 04 Sept 2009: 1-

5. Web. 17 Apr 2011. beginnersguide/a/pianotypes.htm>. Heaton, Barrie. "Piano Tuners." UK Piano Pages. UK Piano Pages,

05 Jun 2007. Web. 20 Apr 2011. .

"History of the Piano." Pianonet.com. National Piano Foundation, 19

Sept 2009. Web. 20 Apr 2011. .

"Yamaha Motiff." Piano Play It. Musicians Friend, 17 Aug 2009.

Web. 12 Apr 2011. .

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