A Short History of the Piano

Piano Is Easy and the Piano by Number series are written by John Aschenbrenner, a noted children's music educator, Emmy Award winning composer, and Broadway veteran.

Click here to view his distinguished academic background.

John is actively involved every day in inspiring children to take a happy interest in the piano using Piano by Number and simple piano games. You can, too!

LESSON #11

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PIANO

The origins of the piano are in the ancient Greek water organ known as the hydraulis. Water power pushed air through tubes, and the tubes were activated by levers, which became the keyboard we know.

There were seven levers, which correspond to the seven white keys of the piano keyboard. Later, another lever was added, a “black key,” and as time passed other black keys were added, eventually leading to the arrangement of black and white keys we have today.

Think of the further history of the piano in four stages of development: clavichord, harpsichord, fortepiano, and then finally the modern piano.

In medieval times, the first instrument that resembles the piano was called the clavichord. The clavichord has brass strings struck with triangular metal pieces called “tangents.” In comparison to the modern piano, the clavichord’s strings were much smaller and were strung on a small wooden frame, whereas the modern piano has massive steel and copper strings and they are held by a heavy cast-iron frame.

If you have ever heard a clavichord played, you will realize the meaning of the term “lean forward and listen,” because the sound of the clavichord is tiny. It does have expressive possibilities that its successor, the harpsichord, lacked. For example, one can vibrate the string by gently pushing the string up and down with the keyboard key, producing a primitive vibrato.

One can also make a crescendo (getting louder or softer) with a clavichord by simply pressing the keys with a faster stroke.

Next came the harpsichord, in the Baroque era around the 1600s. It may have evolved as musicians simply wanted a louder sound. On the harpsichord the sound is produced by goose quills plucking a thicker brass or iron string.

Harpsichords must have sounded like electric guitars to baroque ears used to the miniscule clavichord. They made a wonderful, metallic racket. Some have double strings, and more than one keyboard so that the volume can be lowered or raised.

In addition, the harpsichord had a few novelty sounds, such as a “lute” stop, which produced a fluffy, muted pluck.

But the harpsichord had one great flaw: it could not get louder or softer without moving an elaborate set of levers, and this had to be done while playing, making such changes awkward at best.

Around 1700, an Italian named Cristofori came up with a mechanism that made sound via felt covered hammers striking heavy iron strings. This became known as the fortepiano, the name itself derived from the Italian words “forte” (loud) and “piano” (soft.)

The great Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the first owners of a fortepiano. He had a primitive model, still in a museum, that had pedal mechanisms worked by the pianist bringing their knees together.

The pedal was one of the keys to the success of the fortepiano, for it made the sound ring and resound in the room, giving a “reverb” quality to the sound.

The development of the modern style grand piano was largely a search for both volume and clarity of expressive power.

The final development was the introduction in the 1800s of the cast iron frame. The cast iron frame allowed the strings to be stretched to thousands of pounds of pressure, producing the massive sound we take for granted today as the modern piano.

The golden age of the piano was from about 1800 to 1925, when everyone had one. There were no cars, no radio, no electricity, and no telephone. There was only the piano

But by 1925, the radio became the rage, then the television, and then the computer.

Still, do you know any other machine that dates from the Renaissance, has thousands of moving parts, and may be sitting in your living room?

The piano is arguably the oldest living complex machine humans have ever made.

You can follow the lessons in the order we present them, or select your own courses from the Course Directory

START LESSON 12

COURSE DIRECTORY

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF PIANO TEACHING HOME PAGE

RETURN TO OUR MAIN WEBSITE http://www.pianobynumber.com

Course One

TEACHING TOOLS

#1 TEACHING CHILDREN'S PIANO

#2 WHAT A CHILD SHOULD EXPECT FROM PIANO LESSONS

#3 WHAT IS FINGERING AND WHEN DO WE USE IT

#4 PIANO BY NUMBER AND OTHER STARTING METHODS

#5 THE FIRST PIANO LESSON

#6 MINUTE BY MINUTE PIANO LESSON

#7 TOYS AND ACCESORIES FOR FUN PIANO LESSONS

#8 READING MUSIC FOR KIDS STEP BY STEP

#9 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORST AND BEST TEACHER

#10 A CHILD'S CLASSICAL MUSIC LISTENING LIST

Course Two

TEACHING BACKGROUND

#11 A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PIANO

#12 A SHORT HISTORY OF PIANO METHODS

#13 A PLEASANT PIANO LESSON ATMOSPHERE

#14 ADVICE TO A YOUNG PIANO TEACHER

#15 WHY I TEACH PIANO

#16 A PIANO TEACHER'S EMOTIONS

#17 PACE AND CHILDREN'S PIANO LESSONS

#18 CHILDREN'S PIANO MOTOR SKILLS DEFINED BY AGE

#19 CHILDREN'S PIANO FINGERING OVERVIEW

#20 GUILT IS THE WRONG WAY TO BUY ATTENTION

Course Three

PIANO GAMES

#21 FOURS, A PIANO COUNTING GAME

#22 THE PIANO DICE GAME

#23 PIANO HAND POSITION GAMES

#24 THE USE OF HUMOR IN PIANO LESSONS

#25 HAPPY OR SAD: EAR TRAINING FOR KIDS

#26 FOLLOW THE LEADER: VISUAL PIANO GAMES

#27 PIANO GAMES TO PLAY WHEN ALL GOES WRONG

#28 PRECURSOR SKILL PIANO GAMES

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

See also: PIANO BY NUMBER, a series of fun books for beginning piano students of all ages.

See also: EZINE ARTICLES, a list of publications which include John Aschenbrenner's writings about the piano.

See also: ARCHIVES at pianoiseasy.com, which contains a large collection of games and articles about children and the piano. Below is a list you will find on that site:

ARTICLES ABOUT CHILDREN AND PIANO
Click here for the FREE EBOOK, a good place to start.
Click here to read the NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES, including lots of valuable information from teachers and parents from various sources.
Click here to read ARTICLES FROM NEWSWEEK and other periodicals regarding children and piano study.
Click here to read an INTERVIEW with the author of PIANO IS EASY.
Click here to read the essay, HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD READ MUSIC?
Click here to read the entire tutorial HOW TO TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ MUSIC
Click here to read the report WHAT IS A GOOD AGE TO START PIANO LESSONS?
Click here to read the essay PIANO LESSONS: A CHILD'S POINT OF VIEW
Click here to read the essay WHEN IS LEARNING FINGERING NECESSARY?
Click here to read the article A CHILD'S BILL OF RIGHTS FOR PIANO LESSONS
Click here to read the article IS PRESCHOOL A GOOD AGE TO START PIANO?
Click here to read the article BRAINS, CHILDREN AND PIANO
Click here to read the article WHY THE PIANO IS THE BEST CHILD'S MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

ARTICLES ABOUT PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AND PIANO
Click here to read the article TEACHING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN PIANO
Click here to read the article PRESCHOOL PIANO ACTIVITIES

ARTICLES ABOUT CHILDREN AND READING MUSIC
Click here to read the article HOW TO HELP KIDS FIND MIDDLE C
Click here to read the article WHAT KIDS REALLY UNDERSTAND ABOUT SHEET MUSIC
Click here to read the article WHY DELAY READING MUSIC
Click here to read the article AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR KIDS LEARNING TO READ MUSIC

SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PIANO
Click here to read the article AMAZING MUSICAL ABILITIES OF AUTISTIC AND ADHD CHILDREN
Click here to read the article HYPERACTIVE KIDS AND PIANO
Click here to read the article PIANO BY NUMBER FOR A SEVERELY DISABLED GIRL
Click here to read the article DOWN'S SYNDROME AND PIANO BY NUMBER

ARTICLES ABOUT CHILDREN AND PRACTICING
Click here to read the article WHY NAGGING YOUR CHILD TO PRACTICE WON'T WORK
Click here to read the article RULES FOR PIANO PRACTICE
Click here to read the article DON'T CALL IT PRACTICE, CALL IT PLAY
Click here to read the article SETTING UP A CHILD'S PIANO PRACTICE REGIME
Click here to read the article WHY CHILDREN SUCCEED AT THE PIANO

ARTICLES ABOUT CHILDREN AND PIANO BY NUMBER
Click here to read the essay THE PIANO WHISPERER
Click here to read the article STARTING TO PLAY PIANO BY NUMBER
Click here to read the report USE PIANO BY NUMBER WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN
Click here to read the article BUILDING A CHILD'S CONFIDENCE WITH NUMBERS
Click here to read the article TURN YOUR PIANO INTO A TOY

ARTICLES ABOUT ADULTS AND PIANO
Click here to read the introduction to EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER
Click here to read the introduction to TEACH YOURSELF PIANO, an excellent guide to important self-teaching points.
Click here to read the article RULES FOR PIANO PRACTICE
Click here to read the article TIPS FOR ADULT PIANISTS
Click here to read the article PIANO FINGER STRENGTH IS CUMULATIVE
Click here to read the article THE PIANO ZONE
Click here to read the article MAKING EVERY MINUTE OF ADULT PIANO PRACTICE COUNT

ARTICLES ABOUT THE PIANO
Click here to read the article HOW GOOD ARE TOY PIANOS?
Click here to read the article ORIGINS OF THE BLACK PIANO KEYS
Click here to read the article HOW TO BUY AN INEXPENSIVE PIANO OR KEYBOARD
Click here to read the essay WHY GRAND PIANOS ARE BETTER THAN UPRIGHTS
Click here to read the essay PIANO WARS: EVOLUTION OF THE PIANO IN AMERICA
Click here to read the essay THE GREAT PIANO CRAZE OF 1910
Click here to read the essay THE BALLET OF THE PIANO HANDS
Click here to read the essay A PIANIST'S MEANS OF EXPRESSION
Click here to read the report HUMIDITY AND YOUR PIANO

ARTICLES ABOUT PIANO TEACHING
Click here to read the article HOW TO FIND A GOOD PIANO TEACHER
Click here to read the article SO YOU WANT TO BE A PIANO TEACHER
Click here to read the article MY CHILD WANTS TO QUIT PIANO
Click here to read the article WHY KIDS NEED FREEDOM TO LEARN PIANO
Click here to read the article PSYCHOLOGY OF HOMESCHOOL PIANO
Click here to read the article THE PIANIST WITH TWO BRAINS
Click here to read the article YOU CAN ONLY ENJOY PIANO MY WAY
Click here to read the article TEN WAYS TO BE A BAD CHILDREN'S PIANO TEACHER
Click here to read the article KIDS SONGS FOR PIANO
Click here to read the article TEACH YOUR CHILDREN PIANO
Click here to read the article ARE KIDS PIANO RECITALS HARMFUL?

ARTICLES ABOUT PIANO STICKERS
Click here to read the article WHY PIANO NUMBER STICKERS WORK FOR CHILDREN
Click here to read the article WHY PIANO STICKERS WORK FOR READING MUSIC

ARTICLES ABOUT PIANO GAMES
Click here to see the game QUARTERS: A PIANO GAME KIDS LOVE
Click here to see the piano game FUN PIANO GAME WITH A PAIR OF DICE
Click here to see the piano game MOZART'S FAVORITE MOVIE
Click here to see the essay BASEBALL, KIDS AND PIANO
Click here to read about PIANO CHORD GAMES FOR KIDS
Click here to read about VISUAL PIANO GAMES
Click here to read about THE FUTURE EFFECT OF KIDS PIANO GAMES

MUSIC HISTORY AND HUMOR
Click here to read the article PIANO LESSONS WITH PAPA BACH
Click here to read the article PIANO LESSONS WITH FREDERIC CHOPIN
Click here to read the story HECTOR BERLIOZ AND THE TRAIN WRECK
Click here to read the story TCHAIKOVSKY'S GREATEST FAN
Click here to read the story STRAVINSKY'S GOOD LUCK
Click here to read the article CHOPIN'S SINGING TONE
Click here to read the article MUSICAL FEUDS
Click here to read the article MUSICAL GENIUS
Click here to read the story FRANZ SCHUBERT: THE FIRST BOHEMIAN
Click here to read the story BEETHOVEN'S RAGE OVER A LOST PENNY
Click here to read the story MOZART'S LAST DAYS
Click here to read THE STORY OF HUGO WOLF
Click here to read the story THE WORLD'S LARGEST BLUE DANUBE WALTZ
Click here to read the story BEETHOVEN WAS NO BEAUTY
Click here to read the story VLADIMIR HOROWITZ GOES TO THE RACETRACK
Click here to read the story EINSTEIN'S GYPSY VIOLIN
Click here to read the story IGOR STRAVINSKY LOSES HIS COOL
Click here to read the story ARTUR RUBINSTEIN WAS A VAMPIRE
Click here to read the story EINSTEIN'S PIANO
Click here to read the essay WHY BRAHMS MUST HAVE BEEN FAT
Click here to read the article PIANO HANDS
Click here to read the article THE MASTER'S HANDS
Click here to see the article TAKE YOUR KIDS TO THE OPERA
Click here to see the article GEORGE SAND KILLED CHOPIN
Click here to see the article I MEET AARON COPLAND
Click here to see the story CARL TAUSIG COOKS HIS CAT

CULTURAL CRITICISM
Click here to read the op-ed opinion column WHY AMERICA IS LOSING THE CULTURE RACE
Click here to read the op-ed opinion column WHAT KILLED THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIANO
Click here to read the op-ed opinion column AGAINST FILM MUSIC
Click here to read the op-ed opinion column CARNEGIE HALL STARTS IN YOUR LIVING ROOM

CHORDS AND MUSIC THEORY TUTORIALS
Click here to read the tutorial ROOT POSITION CHORDS
Click here to read the tutorial FIRST INVERSION CHORDS
Click here to read the tutorial SECOND INVERSION CHORDS
Click here to read the tutorial THE SIX BASIC CHORDS FOR CHILDREN
Click here to read the tutorial TWO NOTE CHORDS FOR KIDS
Click here to read about PIANO CHORD GAMES FOR KIDS
Click here to read the article WHY CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN ABOUT PIANO CHORDS

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