A brief history of the piano and the various types of piano that are available.

The piano was previously known as the pianoforte, based on the ability to play an instrument as various volumes. “Piano” meaning soft or quiet and “forte” meaning loud. The terms Piano and Forte are still commonly used as expressions meaning the same thing – Piano (soft) and Forte (loud). The harpsichord (a keyboard instrument that plucked strings) is considered an early version of the piano and the piano was the result of musicians who were looking for a keyboard instrument that could be played loud and soft as the harpsichord can only play at one volume.

It is difficult to determine when the first piano was made. History shows an invention around 1709/10 of the ‘gravecembalo col piano e forte’ by Bartolomeo Cristofori, in Florence, Italy. Changes to Cristofori’s invention are known to result in what we know as the piano. Its popularity grew especially in the mid 18th century where it was used frequently as a solo instrument and in chamber music. The most common design of piano today, the Vertical piano, is thought to have originated since the early to mid 1800’s. Pianos vary considerably in style, design, shapes and sizes but tend to adhere to 2 types of categories – vertical, and horizontal.

Vertical

The height ranges from approximately 35/36 inches to 60 inches or so. Within this category there are commonly known 4 types, the Upright, the Spinet, the Studio and the Console. Firstly, the Upright is the tallest up to 60 inches in height. This is the most common of all vertical style pianos and the ones many people consider when buying a piano. The Spinet is generally no taller than 40 inches and are the smallest. Good choice for those who lives in apartments. A draw back is due to its size, it doesn’t have as much power or force. The Studio is commonly found in studios, schools and dance studios and is roughly no more than 45 – 48 inches tall. These are one of the best types of vertical pianos in regard to the sound that it creates. Finally, the Console. Slightly taller than the Spinet and tends to be the most versatile in colour finishes available.

Horizontal

Commonly referred to as Grand pianos, and the smaller ones as Baby Grands, there are 6 general types, Petite Grand, Baby Grand, Medium Grand, Parlor Grand, Ballroom Grand, and Concert Grand. Petite is the smallest but still extremely powerful. The next one up is Baby which is probably the most commonly found of all Grand pianos, Medium Grand as 5 and a half feet, Parlor at about 6 foot, Ballroom at approximately 7 and ultimately the Concert Grand at about 9 foot. These types of pianos are considered to be the best at producing tone and are known to have a better key response. Ultimately, they are the most expensive.

Electric

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact date that the electric piano was invented however, it was obvious that the electric piano would soon be invented just like other instruments were being invented. Considered an invention of Harold Rhodes during the 1940’s, he created the sound with forks being struck by mallets. The forks consisted of two elements – the tone bar and the tine bar. Many people have heard of the keyboard instrument called the Fender Rhodes. This instrument is considered one of the first electric keyboards to be mass produced. The first Clavia Electric piano was the Clavia Electric Grand Model G. Modeled on a Grand Piano it was fitted with electric piano pickups and sampled the instrument at a variety of velocity levels including soft and hard keystrokes. Nowadays, the most common electric pianos are Yamaha, Technics, Roland and Casio and out of these, the most commonly sold is Yamaha (I also have one). The main reason is the authenticity of sound that is created is quite amazing and the touch is very similar to an acoustic piano. Recently, we have seen other alternatives to the electric piano being produced with software for computers such as the Lounge Lizard which uses a graphical user interface (GUI) that you can use to change sounds, timbres, and effects.