Pianos and Keyboards
The piano was invented around 1700 in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori and has been used worldwide for every imaginable type of music. Previous keyboards, including the harpsichord, clavichord and organ were capable of only a limited range of volume. The piano solved this by having the mechanism hit the string and then back away from it, enabling it to be played loudly and forcefully or very softly and gently. In Italian, piano means soft and forte means loud (or strong). Originally the piano was called the forte e piano (loud and soft). It is also
sometimes called the pianoforte.
The piano has an enormous range in terms of pitches it can produce and is used for intricate classical music as well as for jazz, blues and pop music genres. The piano is the main instrument for teaching Music Theory for Western Music. It is associated with many fascinating and complex musical pieces including the Bach 2- and 3- part inventions (written as exercises for aspiring pianists).
Piano has become central to delivering much of popular music and excels as the accompaniment instrument for talendted soloists delivering songs with enormous feeling.
It can be played simply and sweetly or support amazingly complex improvisation. The piano is so versatile that it has become important to remember its few limitations: it is very heavy, not easily portable and relatively expensive (compared to other instruments, such as the acoustic guitar). Not your typical sit-around-the-campfire-and-let’s sing some songs kind of instrument. But so many people play it that sometimes complete strangers collaborate around it.
Amplified electric pianos and other electronic keyboards such as synthesizers based on keyboards have expanded greatly its versatility, making it possible to play a huge variety of sounds.
With technological advances, amplified electric pianos (1929), electronic pianos (1970s), and digital pianos (1980s) have also been developed. The electric piano became a popular instrument in the 1960s and 1970s genres of jazz fusion, funk music and rock music. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano
Blues and boogie-woogie are some of the most popular piano styles around the world.
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