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Piano
Author: Administrator | 
This instrument is the archetypal instrument associated with music rooms and elderly female music teachers. Pianos come in a range of styles and shapes, from the tiny Spinet piano, the Upright, and beyond into Baby and full-sized Concert Grand Piano. A full-size Concert Grand Piano occupies about the same amount of space as a full size Billiards table and is usually worth over one hundred thousand dollars.
Manufacturers:
Steinway pianos are highly regarded though not the best available piano on the market. There are several piano manufacturers that make equivalent or better pianos for top of the range concert performance but it is a small market that is effectively saturated. Many Japanese households take great pains to consider the appropriate piano when considering the investment and the Yamaha Upright Piano has found its way into many homes around the world. Take care though, as a Piano made for the Japanese market may not be ideal in your environment.
Optimum Environment for Piano: 
Conditions such as temperature and humidity can greatly affect the tone and tuning of a piano. Piano’s engineered for wet, high humidity areas of the planet, should not be taken to dry, desert climates, as their wood will dry out and change shape. This alteration of the character of the wood will change how the metal chassis holding the strings in place is tensioned. These changes will manifest in the final sound that the piano produces.
Piano Mechanics:
The piano is very similar to the harpsichord, in the use of keys to move hammers that strike the strings, the resulting sound resonating through the body and frame to transmit out to the human ear. The felt caps on a piano can wear out, requiring replacement, and the action of the keys can change requiring regulation of the action to bring all of the keys back into alignment. If this isn’t done regularly some keys will require more force to be applied to get the same volume of sound. This can be a problem when learning to play, or when trying to recreate a certain style of playing.
Famous Piano Musicians/Composers:
Many musicians from the 19th Century, Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart, through to modern composers including Phil Collins and Dave Brubeck have utilized the piano to great effect. One of the most talented composers for the piano was Thelonius Monk; a US blues musician from the 1930’s who produced a prolific amount of exquisite work. Blue Monk is lovely to listen to, and demonstrates several compositional principles in an elegant fashion.
Learning to play the piano:
When playing piano, you should always keep a mind on your posture, as a curved back will detrimentally affect the speed at which you can play, and change the angle of your wrists leading to long term damage to the ligament. Playing piano is a very satisfying thing to do, once the basic skills have been mastered. Scales and drills should be regularly played to ensure the nimbleness and deftness of your fingers. Playing scales also helps to train the ear, making it easier to play music with other musicians, and easier for you to pick out a tune from memory.