SHEET MUSIC USA
THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE PIANO SHEET MUSIC ON THE WEB
Below are just a few examples of our piano sheet music!
Brief History of the Piano
| A piano is defined as an instrument with a manual keyboard
actuating hammers that strike wire strings, producing sounds that may be softened or sustained by means of pedals.
There are all kinds of pianos on today's market, ranging from the smallest of pianos called spinets(vertical) to
the largest 9 foot 6 inch concert grands. You might have fond memories of days gone sittling at the the old heavy
upright! And with today's technology, pianos are now being produced with computers aboard to play pre-recorded
music on diskettes and CD's. History tells us that Bartolommeo Cristofori (1655 - 1731) is considered the piano inventor. In his quest to make a better harpsichord, he decided to substitute felt hammers in place of the harpsichord jacks. Sounds could then be softened or made louder by direct finger pressure. Cristofori founded three principals still used today in the making of pianos: 1) The hammer was invented. 2) He developed an escapement device to permit the hammers to drop back immediately after striking the strings, leaving them to vibrate freely as long as the key is held down; 3) He invented the shifting soft pedal arrangement. Piano manufacturers can be found all over the world. Many are long gone, but their pianos live on in museums and / or are still being played in homes. Some names are Chickering, Waltham, Schiller, Cable, Knabe and Everett. Who hasn't heard of the more modern and popular names like Steinway, Yamaha, Baldwin, Kawai, Young Chang, and Wurlitzer? |