All of us have heard about this musical instrument ‘piano’. The piano is a stringed musical instrument which is played using a row of keys called the keyboard. It was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy around the year 1700. It has 2 basic configuration- The grand piano and the upright piano.

Overview

Grand piano is a form of piano which is large in size and whose strings are arranged horizontally. It is played using a keyboard which is a set key that is pressed by the performer in order to produce a melodious sound. The Performer makes use of his fingers and thumbs of both the hands to press the keys so that the hammer can strike the strings and produce sound.

How does it work?

Grand piano is generally of 3 types- concert grand, boudoir grand and smaller baby grand piano. It is categorized into these categories on the basis of their size. The volume produced by the piano may vary from pianist to pianist (a person who plays the piano) because the volume produced is directly proportional to the velocity or force from which the pianist press down the keys. The greater the velocity of pressing the keys, greater will be the force of hammer which is hitting the string and higher will be the volume of sound and the notes are produced.

This piano usually has a wooden case which surrounds the soundboard and metal strings which has the function of stringing under great surface tension. This wooden case protects the delicate metal strings of the piano. Its keyboard consists of a row of 88 black and white keys. Out of which there are 52 white keys for the major notes and 36 short black keys which are raised above the white keys. This piano can play 88 different kinds of pitches going from highest to the deepest range. Most of the notes make use of three strings.

The most special characteristic of this grand piano is that it has a horizontal arrangement of its string and frames. Its string extends away from the keyboard and makes use of gravity as its means of return to the state of rest from the state of motion.

These are large pianos which have largely sized strings enables them to produce the sharp sound. These are widely used in the parties and hall concerts becauseit produces brilliant tone quality and prevents the sound ways of getting reverberated (a phenomenon of repetition of sound waves unable a person to hear it clearly. It is designed in such a way where it avoids such a problem of repetition and produces sustaining tone quality.

Concert grand pianos are widely used in parties and such hall concerts to produce world-class sound and small baby grand pianos are preferred usually for the domestic and teaching purpose. These baby pianos can also be used for small venue performances as it is smaller and less expensive than the concert pianos.

Grand pianos are the purest form of the pianos which are large in size and produces a quality of sound which is always preferred by the people to listen.