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Pianos

The piano is an acoustic instrument that has its origin on Padua, Italy in 1709,

whereby during its invention, it incorporated the use of a hammer to hit the buttons

hence producing sound. The instrument has undergone evolution to become one of the

worlds treasured instruments that are used in all kind of songs. The term piano is the

shortened form of the original name of the instrument which is pianoforte, a term that

was common in Italy in the 1700’s (Dolge 8). The word was derived from the Italian

word gravicembalo col piano e forte which is a translation for the sounds produced by

the instrument with the terms piano which means soft and forte which implies loud

(Dolge 8).

In the context of the contemporary piano, the loudness is derived from the

pressure applied to the keys whereby when they are pressed hard, the hammer hit the

string with a higher velocity and hence producing a higher volume. To play the

instrument, an individual uses his/her fingers a to press against the levers made up of

small keys to create sound of different tones. In the contemporary world, there are

various types of pianos that have been developed, but their working mechanisms still

reflects the original piano. Modern time pianos can record the tones which are a

significant improvement from the original instruments. Further, the materials used to

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make the instrument and the way it is played has also changed which indicate the

transformation that piano has undergone. This paper seeks to illustrate the history of

pianos and the transformation that the instrument has gone through transforming it

from a large equipment to a portable instrument.

History of Pianos

The history of piano dates back to 1709 when Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the first

pianoforte which became the benchmark for the progress that has been made on

pianos (Dolge 7). The initial design was made out of wood, and the that resembles the

harpsichord and a unique keyboard that resembled a clavichord, and it was

responsible for the variation in the voices produced by the instrument (Pollens 5).

Ever since many inventors have modified the design in a bid to build a more perfect

and portable piano that meets the demand of the music industry. However, this history

is part of the more significant innovation of the musical instruments that was started

by hunters who invented blowing instruments to help in their hunting business. In that

regard, the piano is attributed the stringed instrument, the harp whose innovation is

associated with the plucking sound produced by the hunter's bow and arrow (Dolge

10). The idea was then replicated and improved to produce other stringed instruments

including the dulcimer, the violin family, clavichord, harpsichord, and also the piano.

However, despite the similarities in string instrument mentioned, the piano was the

unique of them since it provided a feature that helped control its volume.

The piano by Bartolomeo Cristofori was the first to feature a return technique

after the hammer had struck the string in a mechanism referred to as the hammer

harpsichord. These pianos were called the Cristofori’s piano, and they were

characterized by small hammers that were covered with leather, bichords that were

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throughout the instrument, and wedge-shaped dampers (Dolge 11). By 1726,

Bartolomeo Cristofori had produced about twenty pianos before he gave up on

building the instruments. Some of his ancient works have been stored, and notable

one of the piano with four octaves which is dated 1720 is kept in New York (Dolge

14). Another of his piano with four and a half octaves which is dated 1726 is stored in

Leipzig, Germany while another that dates to 1722 is stored in Rome, Italy (Dolge 15).

Later in 1725, Christian Ernst Friederici was successful in developing a squire piano

which he called the "Fortbien." (Dolge 17). Further, the modified the design and

started producing pyramid pianos which were characterized by a grand shape which

was set vertical with the treble curve side facing up while the wrist pins were placed

at the bottom.

Many inventions followed, and the pianos were improved from time-to-time to

meet the expectations of the people which was a more refined sound and an

instrument that is easy to use. However, a milestone achievement was reached when

Johann Andreas Stein in 1772 invented the Viennese action in which had unique

attributes resembling the modern piano (Pollens 9). His innovation had the hammers

fitted to a central spring which was attached to the unique keys called the Kapsel with

the hammerheads towards the instrument player and the shanks set in a horizontal

direction and parallel to the keys (Isacoff 8). Further, the shanks protruded beyond the

central point, and they were made to be in contact with a movable springor making

the back of the shank to be held down when the key is pressed. The evolution

continued and by 1950s piano making was a profitable venture that saw many

companies manufacture the instrument for commercial use around the world (Pollens

13). Among the companies that were established include Pearl River Pianos formed in

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1956, and it produced over 100000 pianos every year with most of the products being

exported to the west.

Modern Pianos

The modern piano is a result of innovation to produce a superior instrument that could

sustain a longer and diver sound production. The base for the development of the

modern piano was the onset of the industrial revolution which made it possible to

produce superior raw material like the strings and other materials for the manufacture

of the pianos. The modern piano, however, has the same working mechanism as the

ancient ones since both utilize the technique of hitting wires using a hammer (Pollens

21). Additionally, due to innovation, the modern day piano has had an improvement

from the four octaves to the current seven or even more, octaves hence indicating the

superiority of the innovations. However, it is vital to note that there has been small

input into the piano industry regarding innovation and change of mechanism since

1800, but the manufacturing companies use the same concepts to develop finer

models of the instrument (Boyle 77). But due to technology and improvement of

electronic technology, there has been the development of layer pianos which are

capable of playing on themselves due to an integration of circuits to enabling setting

of the machine to produce specific tones. Additionally, there has been the

development of digital pianos which have a musical software installed in them to

facilitate the production of a variety of sounds.

Raw Material

Notable also in the modern pianos is the raw material used to make the instruments

which have upgraded from the use of wood in the first pianos to the use of

sophisticated materials with superior quality. The modern pianos utilize the

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combination of the ancient material and the advanced innovative materials to develop

masterpiece art that makes the instrument unique. Not only is the use of excellent

materials required for the appearance of the instrument but also for the production of

quality sound (Van den Berghe 17). Wood still forms a vital component in the

manufacture of pianos since some of the essential parts of the instrument is made out

of the wood product. Illustratively, the long fibers of Mable wood provide the desired

characteristic of strength required to manufacture the rim of the instrument (Isacoff

11). Additionally, the long fibers of spruces are also needed to produce the braces due

to the power of the material. Metal is also used in the production of the equipment the

metal playing a primary role in the manufacture of the cast iron plate. Other materials

used in the manufacture include sand and plastics which are incorporated into the

design to produce a portable product with perfect appearance (Pollens 25). With the

improvement in technology and innovation, the new generation pianos have other

decorative components and internal circuits that make the superior.

Designs of the Pianos.

Since the piano is a significant instrument in the music industry, the design of the

equipment is an essential aspect of its construction. The design of pianos is done by

specially educated, and trained engineers called the scale Engineers (Isacoff 12). The

scale engineers are responsible for the selection of materials to be used in the

construction process and the design of the interaction of the various parts of the piano.

They are also responsible for the determination of the strength of the instrument based

on the materials used and the process of construction. Illustratively, the construction

process will entail the exerting of 11.2-14 kg per sq cm tension force to the strings to

ensure that they achieve the desired strength and that they do not break when the force

of the hammer is applied (Boyle 77). The cast iron too must be able to withstand the

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tension force of the string while at the same time not compromise the quality of the

sound being produced by the instrument.

The shape of the piano is also another critical attribute in the design process since

it must conform to the number of strings in the instrument. Additionally, during the

design, the placement of bridges in the soundboard is a factor that must be considered

since most of the materials in the system are brittle and hence the model must take

caution to protect the material from breaking (Isacoff 17). Another aspect that also

plays a part in the design process is the placing of holes; they are usually placed on

the curved side to protect the cast iron from breaking due to thermal stress when the

piano is being played. To achieve these critical design parameters, scale engineers

start off the process of design by sketching the piano and incorporating the

components required before the actual building begins (Boyle 77). Additionally, the

process will be followed by the manufacture of the prototype resembling the piano in

which all the elements have been added; this will enable for the testing of the

workability of the instrument before its building is initiated.

Types of Pianos

Based on the different designs and the innovation used to build the pianos, various

types of the instrument exists all of which strive to assure user satisfaction. Modern

pianos have two primary classifications based on their orientation, and they may

either be grand or vertical pianos. However, each of the classification has a different

style which may include specialized and novelty pianos, digital pianos, and electric

pianos, some may also have other unique feature, but they will have an orientation of

either of the two.

Grand Pianos

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The grand type of piano has the strings and the frame oriented in the horizontal

direction with these string stretching away from the keyboard. The action is under the

keyboard, and they rely on the concept of gravity to return the strings to the state of

rest (Van den Berghe 2o). It is important to note that in this type of pianos, the longer

the size of the of the component, the richer the sound that is produced and the lower

inharmonicity of the sound. Inharmonicity is an undesirable character that originates

from the partial variation in the frequencies of overtones when the instrument is

played and hence resulting in the inconsistent quality of the sound (Boyle 77).

Vertical Pianos

The vertical pianos also called the upright pianos are those that are compact with the

frame and other components being aligned vertically. The vertical pianos are the most

common type of piano in churches, schools, universities, and even in a home where

pianos exist (Isacoff 20). Due to the compact nature of this kind of piano, they are

usually less complicated and cheap compared to the grand piano. In this type of piano,

the hammer mover horizontally and it is returned to position by the action of springs.

Specialized Pianos

Specialized pianos just as the name suggests are designed with a particularly special

feature that distinguishes it from the grand or the vertical pianos. Many different types

of pianos with specialized components have been developed in the modern world to

meet a specific need of the users. They include toy piano which uses metal rods to

produce sound rather than the string used in the ordinary type of pianos (Van den

Berghe 21). Additionally, another example of a specialized piano is the player piano

which plays sounds by the help of piano roll whereby the machine perforates the

performance on paper, and then the piano will replay the voices recorded on the paper

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(Boyle 77). Other examples include the transposing piano, mini piano, and the

prepared piano among others.

Electric and Digital Piano

The electric and digital piano is distinct from the other type, and they are primarily

due to technological innovation. They do not have strings and hammers used to

produce sound, but instead, the voices are produced by synthesizers which simulate

piano voices by the help of oscillators and filters incorporated into the system (Isacoff

23). They are the most common type, and many manufacturing companies have

majored in the production of these types of pianos.

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Works cited

Boyle, George Frederick. "Five Pianos Pieces (1921)." (2015).

Dolge, Alfred. Pianos and their makers: a comprehensive history of the development

of the piano from the monochord to the concert grand player piano. Vol. 1.

Courier Corporation, 1911.

Isacoff, Stuart. A Natural History of the Piano: The Instrument, the Music, the

Musicians--from Mozart to Modern Jazz, and Everything in Between. Knopf,

2011.

Pollens, Stewart. The early pianoforte. Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Van den Berghe, Guido, Bart De Moor, and Willem Minten. "Modeling a grand piano

key action." Computer Music Journal 19.2 (1995): 15-22.

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