Fun facts about the piano that you didn't know you need to know!

• In the year 2009 -- the 300th birthday of the piano -- the worldwide music community voted the piano to be "the most significant instrument in musical history".
• The piano is considered to be a percussion instrument because the felt hammer "strikes" the strings.
• The piano has 88 keys: 56 white keys and 32 black keys.

• The piano was invented by Italian Bartolomeo Christofori, in 1720
• Most pianos have approximately 220 strings.
• Each string has about 180 pounds of tension on it.
• When those numbers are multiplied we find that frame of the piano must withstand nearly 40,000 pounds of tension. That's 20 tons!
• Pianos must be so heavily built with cast iron and a thick wood frame to withstand all of that tension and still stay in tune.
• Most upright pianos weigh 400 to 500 pounds.
• Grand pianos that are 5 feet in length begin at about 650 pounds, and 9 1/2 foot concert grands weigh approximately 1200 pounds.
  ​Makes my back hurt just thinking about moving one. Ouch! 

The 1720 Cristofori piano in the Metropolitan Museum in New York

If you'd like to know more about the piano, I would like to suggest a fascinating book written by David Crombie, simply called "Piano". It's a lovely coffee table book that is filled with amazing color photos and information, including an explanation of the evolution from the earliest stringed instruments that led to the invention of the percussion style piano we know today. There are also very interesting stories about the great composers who played them. An excellent resource for a piano students' book reports, essays, or term papers!