Piano Keys

Unlocking the history

The piano is beautiful instrument that has been a part of the world's cultural heritage for nearly 300 hundred years. Although the various nuances and intricacies of pianos have evolved greatly over the years, the basic design remains the same: a set of keys, black and white, are struck to produce sound. Though the piano is a complex instrument with a plethora of separate, internal parts working together as one, the actual piano keys are the most readily available and recognizable parts of this instrument.

Ebony and ivory

We all know Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's classic duet. In addition to racial harmony, ebony and ivory refers to the materials that the black and white keys of a piano were originally manufactured from. However, with many of the world's ivory yielding species now in danger of extinction, other materials such as different types of plastics are being use to produce piano keys. What is known as legal ivory can still be obtained in limited quantities. Yamaha even went so far as to invent an imitation for ivory called Ivorine or Ivorite that mimicked the feel and look of ivory. Today, most piano keys are manufactured from basswood or spruce, for lightness.

Keyboard arrangement

The modern day arrangement of the keys on a keyboard is taken directly from the harpsichord and has not changed since, except for the color arrangement which uses white keys to signify the notes of the C major scale and black keys to signify the rest. This became the standard color arrangement for pianos in the 18th century and remains the same.

The keys to the city

Modern pianos have a total of 88 keys, although variations are made in both directions. Some older pianos still have only 85 keys. Bosendorfer pianos are a great example of extended range pianos. One model extends the normal range downward to F, while the other goes down as far as C, making the piano contain a full eight octaves instead of the normal 7 1/3. In some constructions of these models the extra keys are hidden under a small hinged lid that has to be lifted in order to use. On some of the models, the colors of the extra keys are reversed, black to white. This can be very visually disorienting for musicians used to the normal arrangement. These extra keys are generally intended for more resonance.

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