Piano

1. Types of Pianos

1.1. Horizontal Pianos

1.1.1. Petite Grand

1.1.1.1. This is the smallest of the horizontal pianos. It ranges in size from 4 feet 5 inches to 4 feet 10 inches. It is indeed small but still powerful.

1.1.2. Baby Grand

1.1.2.1. A very popular type of piano which ranges in size from 4 feet 11 inches to 5 feet 6 inches. Baby grands is a popular choice because of its sound quality, aesthetic appeal and affordability.

1.1.3. Medium Grand

1.1.3.1. Larger than the baby grand at around 5 feet and 7 inches.

1.1.4. Parlor Grand

1.1.4.1. These ranges in size from 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet 1 inch. The parlor grand piano is also called living room grand piano.

1.1.5. Ballroom Grand

1.1.5.1. Next size up from the Parlor Grand piano, it is approximately 6 feet 2 inches to 7 feet long.

1.1.6. Concert Grand

1.1.6.1. At around 9 feet, this is the largest of all the grand pianos.

1.2. Vertical Piano

1.2.1. Spinet

1.2.1.1. With its height of around 36 to 38 inches, and an approximate width of 58 inches, spinets are the smallest of the pianos. Given its size, it is the popular choice of many people who live in limited living spaces such as apartments. One noted downside of spinets is called "lost motion," which means it has less power and accuracy due to its size and construction.

1.2.2. Console

1.2.2.1. Slightly larger than the spinet, its height ranges from 40 to 43 inches and is approximately 58 inches wide. This type of piano comes in various styles and finishes. So if you're particular about your furniture complementing, consoles give you a variety of choices. It's made with a direct action, thus producing more enhanced tones.

1.2.3. Studio

1.2.3.1. This is the kind of piano you usually see in music schools and music studios. It is around 45 to 48 inches in height and has a width of approximately 58 inches. Because of its larger soundboard and longer strings, it produces good tone quality and is very durable.

1.2.4. Upright

1.2.4.1. This is the tallest among the vertical pianos, with a height ranging from 50 to 60 inches and an approximate width of 58 inches. This is the type of piano your great grandparents or grandparents used to play. When cared for properly, it stands the test of time and maintains its rich tone.

2. Purposes

2.1. Music

2.2. Entertainment

3. How a piano works

3.1. The fundamental way a piano produces sound is by vibrating strings. As with stringed instruments like guitars, violins and harps, the pitch of a string changes with the length and tension of the string. Unlike a guitar however, a piano contains individual strings (in practice, groups of two or three) for each pitch you might play, so there is no need to change the length of a string as you play it. To play any note, you simply press the key that causes hammer to hit the strings that are tuned to that note. How does pressing a key cause the hammer to strike a group of strings? This task is performed by the action, which is a complicated connection of wood or plastic parts that tranfers the downward motion of pressing the key to the striking motion of the hammer. (see an animation here: http://www.musicplay.com/action/action.html). This striking motion is the defining feature of the piano and separates it from its predecessors like the harpsichord and clavichord: No matter if you tap the key or hold it, the string is struck briefly by the hammer, which then immediately pulls away from the string to let it vibrate (though it will be damped once the key is no longer depressed). Futhermore, the volume depends upon how hard you pressed the key. Before this invention strings were either plucked, or struck and held in specific places to both sound the string and create the correct pitch. Neither way offered very much dynamic control. A few strings vibrating in air does not create a very loud or robust sound, which is why pianos and their precursors all have a soundboard. This is a large piece of slightly concave wood that “collects” the vibration of the strings and retransmits them with more volume (like the body of a violin or acoustic guitar). Those are the basics of how a piano creates and transmits its sound. It is also important to stop strings from vibrating, which is why all strings are damped except when the key associated with them is depressed. Much of the innovation in piano-making has involved more sophiticated ways to control the dampers, mainly with the use of pedals. Some prevent any dampers from being applied, or prevent only the bass dampers from being applied, or leave strings to vibrate if their keys were depressed when the pedal was depressed.