The piano has a long and strange history full of unbelievable facts and memories about how it was made and how it is played.
Are you looking for some fun facts about this lovely instrument? Sometimes it's cool to hear stories you would never have thought were true.
Here are 21 facts about the piano instrument that may wow you!
You might be able to use one or two of these facts in your next rehearsal/performance to wow your band members or fans. Or you could use these facts for a fun game of trivia among music lovers.
The world's oldest piano, made in 1720 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Most pianos have a total of 88 keys. This number includes 36 black keys and 52 white keys.
Middle C is not the actual middle of a piano. The real middle lies between E and F above middle C.
Famous pianists that are known by name include Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Billy Joel, Elton John, Liberace, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chopin.
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The piano instrument has the widest note range of any instrument ever played, with the exception of the organ.
There are two main types of piano instruments: the grand piano and the upright piano.
A piano was played for the first time in public in 1768 UK, by a famous composer known as Johann Christian Bach.
The piano is often referred to as the King of Musical Instruments.
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There are 230 strings inside a typical modern piano.
The original name for the piano instrument was called the pianoforte. It referred to the ability to play both loud (forte) and soft (piano).
The largest piano in the world was created by Adrian Mann, weighing a total of 1.4 tons or 2800 pounds.
In the early years of piano construction, the keys were often made of sugar pine.
Pianos need to be tuned 3 to 4 times every year when they are new. Older pianos may be tuned once or twice a year.
Your typical piano has over 12,000 parts, with over 10,000 of which are moving.
The first electric piano was built in 1929. It was called the Neo-Bechstein electric grand piano.
Up until the 1950s, piano keys were made from elephant tusks. To protect and preserve elephants, most piano keys are made from an artificial ivory material today.
Instrument categories usually fall into one of 3: percussive, string, and wind. The piano falls into the category of a percussive instrument and the category of a string instrument.
The most expensive piano in the world is made out of crystal and is worth 3.2 million dollars. It was designed by Heintzman Pianos.
Self-playing pianos were a huge deal in the 19th and 20th centuries.
There are over 10 million pianos that are currently used in homes, businesses, and schools throughout the United States alone.
The world record for the longest-ever piano recital was showcased by Romuald Koperski of Poland with 103 hours of runtime.
Pianos are built slowly and thoughtfully. For example, it can take an entire year to make a Steinway piano.
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