Did You Know...?

• The piano is classified as both a string and percussion instrument. This is because its strings are struck with a hammer. The harpsichord, on the other hand, is classified as a string instrument because its strings are plucked.

• Piano keys were originally covered with ivory and ebony, and until the 1800s, the colors of the keys were reversed.

• A piano contains between 220-230 steel strings which each hold a lot of tension. In fact, the average piano can hold between 18-30 tons of tension!

• A piano offers the largest note range of all instruments. A typical piano has 88 keys, or 7 octaves, compared to only 4 octaves found on a guitar or violin.

• The piano has played a crucial role in musical compositions since the 1700s.