The piano is one of the world’s most popular musical instruments with millions of players worldwide and is considered to be one of the most versatile because it can be played either accompanied by other instruments, or played solo, and lends itself to any type of music, from classical to jazz to modern rock & roll and pop, the piano sounds fantastic anywhere! The piano was invented by an Italian harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori in the year 1700. Cristofori was unsatisfied with the lack of control that musicians had over the harpsichord’s volume level, so he switched out the plucking mechanism with a hammer that could be applied both softly and with some force, and the modern piano was born. The piano’s popularity grew quickly in Europe and spread across the world, there are an estimated 50 million pianos in existence today. That popularity is only growing, the global pianos market is expected to reach US$2. 9 Billion by the year 2027!
One would think nearly any family with a musically inclined member would want to own a piano, but there are some things to consider before purchasing. Pianos are big and they are heavy, if your family needs to move house you will need to plan ahead to make sure your new home’s floors can handle the weight! Moving pianos is a business unto itself, requiring the services of professionals like Sydney furniture removals to make sure your prized musical instrument is handled with the utmost care and expertise. Despite those constraints, having a piano in the home is a wonderful experience, there are few things more rewarding than playing or listening to a gifted loved one perform for you.
If you think that purchasing a piano is in your future it’s best to do some homework first. There are two main options available, for today’s purposes, we will stick to the traditional acoustic wood instruments and not delve into the world of electronic keyboards. These two styles are the upright and the grand. Which you choose will depend on the size of your space and how big an investment you wish to make.
Grands are the largest pianos, characterised by a horizontal soundboard encased in a supportable opening platform that lifts upwards on the right. The dampers lie atop the strings, adjacent to the hammers. The 88 keys are made of wood coated in ivory, and sometimes pure ivory. Grands are, as their name implies, quite large, and can be played very loudly, making them the preferred instrument for orchestras, and are the most expensive option.
Uprights are the most popular for home use because of their smaller size and compact shape. They cost less, are more compact, and produce a warm sound. The soundboard is vertical, with strings that stretch downward and horizontal hammers and dampers. Uprights can rival a typical grand in terms of tone quality and loudness, they’re great for parties!
The main thing when buying a piano is to play it first!
