Piano for songwriting!

The piano is a keyboard instrument widely used all over the world for solo performance,chamber music, and accompaniment. Also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal.

It produces sound by striking metal strings with hammers. These vibrations are amplified by transmission to a soundboard by a bridge.

As a keyboard stinged instrument, the piano is similar to the clavichord and harpsichord.

The three instruments differ in the mechanism of sound production. In a harpsichord, strings are plucked by quills or similar material.

In the clavichord, strings are stuck by tangents which remain in contact with the string. In a piano, the strings are struck by hammers which immediately rebound, leaving the string to vibrate freely.

There are two categories and they are...

The "Grand" size

These instruments have the frame and strings horizontally, with the strings extending away from the keyboard. This makes that this type needs a spacious room with high ceilings for proper resonance.

Several sizes of grand exist. Manufacturers and models vary, but as a rough guide we can distinguish the "concert grand", approx. 3 m; the "grand", approx. 1,8; and the smaller "baby grand", which may a bit shorter than it is wide.

All else being equal, longer instruments have better sound and lower in harmonious of the strings, so that full-size grands are almost always used for public concerts, whereas baby grands are only for domestic use where space and cost are crucial considerations.

I have heared of some owners of the'full size grand', stars as Elton John (a collector) and the french singer-songwriter Gilbert Bécaud.

I want to mention here a memorable story of our french friend,

He let build his house arround his favorite instrument.

He let put his piano where his living room just had to come and let the guy's build (carefully) the house arround his instrument.

If this story is true(or false), please let me know ( it sounds quit reasonable).

Only to show you,how much people this music instrument..

The upright!

Are more compact because the frame and strings are placed vertically, extending in both directions frome the keyboard and hammers.

It is considered harder to produce a sensitive action when the hammers move sideways, rather than upward against gravity; however, the very best upright are now approach the level of the grands of the same size in tone quality and responsiveness

The Digital

Since the 80s, digital pianos have available, which use digital sampling technology to reproduce the sound of each piano note.

Digital instruments have become quite sophisticated, with standard pedals, weited keys, multiple voices, MIDI interfaces, and so on in the better models.

However, with current technology, it remains difficult to duplicate a crucial aspect of the acoustic-instrument, namely that when the damper pedal( the pedal who damps the sound of the instrument) is depressed, the strings not struck ,vibrate sympathetically with the struck strings.

Since this sympathetic vibration is considered central to a beautifull tone, digital-pianos are still not considered by most experts as competing with the best acoustic-piano in tone quality.

Progress is now being made in this area by including physical models of sympathetic vibration in the synthesis software.

With other words, I hope you will love your instrument, if you take one home from the shop.

No matter which instrument you will choose, once you have taken the baby in your arms, it will be hard to let go.

Return to "Popular Musical Instruments".

To end with...

Piano lessons!
Play & Stay with your music instrument and care for it!

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