In the theory of music, there are so many interesting questions, the answers to which sometimes even the musicians themselves do not know. For example, few people think about how many keys a piano has, and why it happens that one instrument has a more extensive sound scale than another. That is why now we will try to figure it out and remember once and for all, on how much amount of notes we have to play and why.
Scale length and instrument age
The piano is a keyboard and string instrument that has many predecessors. Among them are the most famous - clavichord and harpsichord. They appeared on the planet around the 13th century, and the length of their scale was much shorter than that of the modern counterpart. When closer to the 18th century, mankind created the first piano, its parameters and sound characteristics were much wider. The piano keys themselves have become larger, and the structure of each octave has also changed. New sounds appeared, new halftones, thanks to which the music began to sound more fully and beautifully. And answering the question about how many keys the piano had in those years, we can say that their number was equal to 85.
How to count piano keys?
As all musicians know, any keyboard and string instrument is built on octaves, that is, its scale is conventionally divided into sections, each of which has seven sounds. However, it should be remembered that in this case, only those notes that are consonant with white keys are counted, while black ones remain to create harmonious and melodic frets. Thus, counting the number of octaves and multiplying this number by seven, we find out how many white keys the piano has. Well, let's calculate: in full, any instrument has a contract, large, small, first, second, third and fourth. However, often we find additional notes at the bottom (3-4) and at the top of the scale. In total, the result is 49 +/– 6, that is, approximately 55 white keys.
We move on to counting black
In order to correctly answer the question: how many keys does a piano have, one must also count the number of blacks and add up two indicators. We do this similarly, focusing on the number of octaves. In this case, each of them will have five black sounds, that is, a total of 35 sounds, also +/– 2 or three notes totaling 37. 55 + 37 will be 92. However, remember that this number is extremely approximate. In some cases, the piano keys form a full fifth octave (the highest), and sometimes the subcontrokt reaches almost the bottom note. Similarly, there are instruments in which even the fourth octave and contract are not fully made. Then the number of keys on the piano can be from 85 to 88 sounds.
How does the number of sounds affect a musician’s game
As mentioned above, the number of notes on a piano can be completely different. The sound strings reach both the highest positions and the lowest. However, this in no way affects the quality and beauty of the music performed. The fact is that in the old days all the representatives of the clavier (the so-called keyboard-stringed instruments) had a much smaller scale, and composers who wrote their masterpieces on them could not just go beyond the existing row. Therefore, today, playing the sonatas and fantasies of Mozart, Chopin, Handel and other classics, you will not experience a "lack" in the upper or lower part of the piano. An exception may be works written by contemporary composers. However, most often they can be performed on a synthesizer, where the pitch changes in a completely different way.
A brief excursion into the piano
Those interested in music will be interested to know this. Many believe that the key itself is the source of sound in the instrument. In fact, the device of any piano is much more complicated, and the key in this case performs only the role of a lever. Behind the front board, a hammer was made to each of them, which, in turn, hits three strings. Every three strings are tuned to one sound, which allows you to make it more complete and rich. The difference in sound between each of the next three strings is equal to a semitone. That is, they are arranged in a single order, regardless of whether the black key or the white one strikes them, which, in fact, makes the piano the way we imagine it.
Does the length of the scale affect the completeness of the sound?
Even if we know how many keys the piano has and how exactly they are arranged, the question remains open whether this makes any difference when it comes to volume and sonority of playback. The answer to this question can be only one - no. The quality and strength of sound is affected by the length and thickness of the strings that are stretched inside the instrument, the weight of the hammers and the degree of gravity with which they hit these strings, as well as the structure of the instrument. Surely you noticed that pianos are used at concerts (there the strings are stretched parallel to the surface of the earth, and they are very long), and at home and in music schools we play the piano, where each string is mounted vertically. This is what gives or reduces the strength of the sound, but not the number of keys.