| The piano is perhaps the most widely used | | | | resting position and the string that will define the |
| instrument in Western music despite its lack of | | | | loudness of what is heard. In fact, electronic |
| portability and its great expense. Despite its | | | | keyboards and MIDI components have taken the |
| popularity, however, few people are interested in | | | | term "velocity" and have literally replaced the |
| the trivial facts that make a piano so fascinating. | | | | word "volume" in today's electronic music jargon. |
| For example, the name "piano" is actually short | | | | How Should We Classify Instruments? |
| for "pianoforte", which literally means "harpsichord | | | | When it comes to keyboards, one is reminded |
| that plays both loud and soft". It was | | | | that a keyboard is nothing more than a practical |
| revolutionary to play an instrument that had such | | | | method to play specific pitches – no different |
| a great dynamic range. After all, a harpsichord | | | | than the valves on a trumpet, the frets on a |
| was a nice sounding instrument but had a single | | | | guitar, or the slide on a trombone. It is difficult, |
| volume and a single tone. The only variety that | | | | then, to say that the keyboard itself could define |
| came with a harpsichord was in the painting that | | | | a specific group of instruments. Why would one |
| was normally found on the inside of the lid. | | | | use the physical aspects of determining pitch as a |
| The along comes a piano – so dynamic, so | | | | classification? What if we did? We would have the |
| brilliant, so unique that it was almost instantly | | | | following categories: |
| classified as both a percussion and a string | | | | • The "Valves" |
| instrument; percussion because the player strikes | | | | • The "Slides" |
| the key to make a sound, and string because the | | | | • The "Bows" |
| sound is actually the result of a string's vibration. | | | | • The "Keys" |
| However, it can also be classified as a | | | | • The "Sticks" |
| "chordophone" for the same reason. The | | | | Sounds like some interesting sections in our |
| chordophone family of instruments is those that | | | | orchestra! But when it comes to what the |
| get their sound from a vibrating string. But then | | | | audience truly hears, these classifications are a bit |
| again, the piano's sound board has a lot to do with | | | | impractical. Wait a minute? Perhaps that is our |
| the sound as well. | | | | key (no pun intended)? Perhaps we need to |
| So what is it? | | | | classify the piano because of what we hear? If |
| Those that argue for the "percussion" class are | | | | so, the piano is one of the most beautiful string |
| quick to point out that the strength of the strike | | | | instruments to ever be invented. Yes – it is |
| on the key determines the volume. They rightly | | | | the string that makes the sound and the |
| claim that there are many percussion instruments | | | | soundboard gives it the projection and tone that |
| that have keyboards and distinct pitches. Of | | | | is makes it so wonderful. |
| course, they can also claim that, like many | | | | So….? |
| mammoth percussion instruments, the piano is | | | | So what is the piano? It is a string instrument. |
| huge and unmovable! | | | | Those that consider it percussion because it is |
| However, many people, including those who claim | | | | struck fail to take into account all those angry |
| to be piano experts, do not realize that it is the | | | | brass players that strike their instruments on |
| "velocity" of the keystroke that determines the | | | | many occasions. There are times when I prefer |
| volume and not the strength behind it. It is the | | | | that tone over the normal one! |
| speed of the hammer traveling between its | | | | |