Piano
This article is about the musical instrument. For other uses, see Piano (disambiguation). "Pianoforte" redirects here. For earliest versions of the instrument only, see Fortepiano. For the 1984 film, see Pianoforte (film). Piano A grand piano (left) and an upright piano (right) Keyboard instrument Hornbostel–Sachs classification 314.122-4-8 (Simple chordophone with keyboard sounded by hammers) Inventor(s) Bartolomeo Cristofori Developed Early 18th century Playing range The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700 (the exact year is uncertain), in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, [1] which is a row of keys (small levers) that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings. The word piano is a shortened form of pianoforte , the Italian term for the early 1700s versions of the instrument, w