Piano Curiosities

Ever wondered why pianos have 88 keys? Why the black keys are black? Why do we have sharps and flats? Why black keys are grouped in twos and threes? Look no further!

Early pianos were adaptations of harpsichords. A harpsichord is smaller. Strings are plucked instead of struck. They have a smaller plucky sound, and they have far fewer than 88 keys. Most harpsichords are bought in kit form today.

One trouble with harpsichords is there is no volume control. Push a key hard or soft and the volume is the same. Hence the desire for a piano-forte (soft-loud in Italian). By inventing a hammer action, volume is achieved according to how hard the string is struck.

Harpsichords are also limited in size by their wooden frame. The tension of the strings combined with the expansion or shrinkage of the frame due to moisture makes tuning tempermental. Wooden frames can only safely support so much tension. Modern keyboard instruments sometimes have thirty or forty thousand pounds of tension in the strings.