The piano can be a percussion, string, or keyboard instrument. It is made with steel strings struck by felt hammers that rebound immediately, making the strings vibrate continually. The vibrations are transferred to the piano's soundboard through the bridges, amplifying the sound. It is a versatile instrument most popularly used in almost all types of music and solo performances. It is commonly used for composing songs and rehearsing.
Types of Pianos
Kinds of Pianos include the following:
Grand piano
The grand piano is the largest, most majestic, and most expensive type of piano.
It used for solo performances.
It has a horizontal soundboard that can stretch up to 44 feet from front to back.
The soundboard is encased in an open platform supported by a long stick when opened upwards.
The dampers are located on top of the strings adjacent to the hammers.
It is made with form-holders made of wooden braces with metal reinforcements.
It has the standard keys, which are usually made of ivory-coated wood.
It is mde with a retractable cover to protect the keys and a sheet platform.
It also comes in two smaller versions: the boudoir grand (1.7 to 2.2 meters wide) and the baby grand (less than six feet wide).
Upright piano
The upright piano or the vertical piano is a more compact piano because the strings are placed vertically from the keyboard to the hammers.
It is the most common type of piano used at home.
It is less expensive than the grand piano.
It provides a warm sound.
It is not recommended for large auditoriums because it amplifies sound poorly.
The hammers strike outward or horizontally, making it slower to return to resting position.
Generally, it is depicted as inferior to the grand piano, but some five-foot upright models can rival a standard grand in terms of loudness and sound quality.
It has the same keyboard as the grand piano, it can vary in material construction.
Electric piano
The electic piano uses digital sampling to reproduce the sound of each note.
It is ideal for beginners and performers who travel frequently.
It is the most affordable type of piano.
It does not have the sound quality of an acoustic piano.
However, it can produce the sounds of high-end and mid-range instruments better.
It can produce a variety of other sounds such as the guitar, string, organ, and percussion.
The number of sounds it can reproduce makes it a portable band.
Choosing Pianos (Buying tips)
Size: Choose the longest piano that you can afford for better sound quality and lower inharmonicity of the strings. This is because the strings can be tuned closer to equal temperament with less stretching.
Sound response: Choose a piano that responds immediately to the strike of a key with no delay. The sound should vibrate a little longer and overlap with the next note played.
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