Pianos: they’re more than just beautiful furniture that takes up space in your living room. Beyond the familiar black and white keys lies a world of fascinating facts, from icy performances to presidential signatures. Dive into this surprising collection of weird piano trivia and discover the rich history, quirky uses, and unexpected talents of this beloved instrument.

Tusks to Plastic: Piano keys were genuinely fashioned of elephant ivory until the 1950s! Thank goodness for conservation initiatives, plastic is used to make keys these days.

Under Tension: Don’t underestimate a piano’s strength! A grand piano may have up to 30 tons of tension on its strings—the weight of many elephants.

The note C4 (middle C) isn’t really the middle of the piano keyboard. It is the area over middle C between E and F!

Crystal Clear Sound: Forget wood, the most expensive piano ever sold was a crystal-encrusted grand piano for over $3 million!

Giant and Tiny Tunes: The world’s largest playable piano has a whopping 156 keys, while the world’s smallest grand piano is just 7 inches high!

A Symphony of Parts: A grand piano is an extraordinarily complex instrument. Ten thousand of the more than twelve thousand pieces move when you play!

Weather Problems: Pianos are finicky. They need a stable atmosphere because temperature and humidity swings can interfere with their tuning.

Double Duty: The piano is a stringed and percussive instrument! Hammers striking the strings cause them to vibrate, producing sound.

Beethoven’s Fortepiano: The term “piano” did not originally apply. Their dual capacity to play both delicate and loud notes earned them the name fortepianos back in Beethoven’s day.

Fun Fact Fun fact: “Soft-loud” in Italian is the source of the name “piano.”

Kawai Pianos: Revealing The Leading Models

Iceolation: Believe it or not, playable pianos have been crafted entirely from ice! Their fast melting during performances creates a singular and transient sonic experience.

Underwater Acoustics: Some specifically made waterproof pianos may be played underwater; pianos aren’t exclusively for concert halls!

Presidential Pianos: Throughout time, the White House has held a number of historic pianos, including one signed by dozens of presidents.

Unbelievably, there have been reports of dogs “playing” the piano by walking on the keys with their paws.

Pyromusic: Looking for a blazing show? Placements of objects on the strings of prepared pianos can produce distinctive, percussion-based sounds when the hammers are struck.

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Self-Playing Marvels: Player pianos were a technological marvel of the early 20th century, using punched paper rolls to automatically play music.

Xylophonic Cousin: A xylophone’s earliest forerunner, the clavichord, actually operated by striking strings with metal tangents.

Invisible Instruments: What is a glassarmonium, by the way? With its glass rods in place of strings, this strange instrument produced a dreamlike sound.

Trench pianos were little, portable upright pianos used by soldiers to boost morale in the trenches during World War I.

Pianos are for feet too, Boogie Woogie Feet! Especially in boogie-woogie styles, some pianists use footwork on the pedals to provide rhythm and depth.

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Whispering Keys: To produce a softer, more personal sound, the “una corda” or “soft pedal” actually causes the hammers to strike fewer strings.

Pianos can feature a “singing bridge,” a design feature that vibrates with the soundboard to give the entire tone a faintly richer quality.

Animal Inspiration: The way a bird’s beak plucks a string actually inspired the mechanics of a piano’s action, how the keys carry energy to the hammers.

High-Flying Keys: Space missions have even flown pianos. With him to the moon on Apollo 16, astronaut Charlie Duke carried a tiny, specially made piano.

Canine Keys: To interact with their humans, some astute dogs have been taught to “play” the piano by pushing particular keys with their noses.

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Vertical Voyage: Piano strings span a greater range of notes within the instrument’s frame than do most string instruments, which run horizontally across the soundboard.

Some pianos have a silent mode that muffles the sound using headphones so the pianist may hear but not disturb others during late-night practice sessions.

Composing by Code: “Virtual pianos” can be created using contemporary computer software and synthesizers to mimic and even improve the sounds of a real piano.

Beyond Black and White: For decorative or instructive reasons, certain uncommon or custom-made pianos may have different colored keys than the majority of pianos.

A Global Voice: Supporting musical expression across boundaries, the piano is a genuinely global instrument, loved and played in cultures all over the world.
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You are invited to check out these relevant articles:

Fascinating Aspects and Curiosities About Pianos
Pianos: Discovering the World of Digital and Electric Models
Keyboards & Pianos: Top Brands and Their Signature Features
Beginner Pianos: How to Make the Right Choice
5 Surprising Facts About Yamaha Pianos

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