About 1 in every 3,788 households own a piano.
It makes you think that no one cares about the instrument or plays it anymore. There’s still a lot of interest and fascination with the piano. Many find it to be a beautiful instrument to learn.
There is a lot of piano information and fun facts about the piano that you’ll find inspiring. Read on to learn what they are.
1. Guess How Many Strings?
A piano has more than 200 strings. How can that be for a piano that has only 88 keys? There are three strings for each key to produce a different quality of sound.
2. It’s a Tense and Sensitive Instrument
The strings on the piano are wound very tightly, which is why they produce such amazing sound. They carry about 168 pounds of tension.
Since there is so much tension in the instrument, you have to be careful when you move it. If you’re moving it to another area of a room, there shouldn’t be any issues.
However, if you are moving the piano to a new location, you need to hire piano movers. The best piano movers understand how to move it without damage.
Your piano will have to adjust to a new space with differences in heat and humidity. You’ll want to get it tuned right away once the move is complete.
3. Pianos Aren’t String Instruments
Here’s a fun fact for you. You’d think that pianos are string instruments because it’s made up of over 200 strings.
It’s actually considered a percussion instrument because the hammers of the piano strike the strings, which create the beautiful sounds of the piano.
4. Pianos Can Be Expensive
The most expensive piano in the world costs more than $3 million. It is the Crystal Piano, made by Canadian manufacturer Heintzman. It was played only one time in public, which was at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
It’s a clear piano and the exterior was made entirely of crystal. After the 2008 Olympic Games, the piano was put to auction, where it sold for $3.22 million.
The second most expensive piano is a Steinway Model Z. It’s not the quality of the piano that makes this a special one. It’s the fact that it was once owned by John Lennon.
That piano sold at auction for $2.37 million and purchased by none other than George Michael.
5. The Invention of the Piano
The piano was invented by Italian musician Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700. At the time, he was a keeper of instruments for the Prince of Tuscany.
It’s unknown how many pianos he created. What is known is that only three of his pianos survive today. One is at The Metropolitan Museum in New York. The others are in Rome and Leipzig.
Piano Information and Fun Facts
Did you learn some fun piano information? Who knew that when it was invented, the piano would become a huge part of our lives through amazing songwriters and composers?
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