Have You Ever Counted The Number Of Keys On A Piano?
The piano: Have you ever counted the number of keys? It’s something that I do with my younger students. Many times they actually forget to count the black keys. But they are always in awe when they count the number of keys on the piano, 88 keys in all. 52 white keys, 36 black keys, 7 octaves. It’s the biggest standard range of all the instruments. As if you needed anymore proof that piano is the best instrument. But the piano didn’t start out as the biggest and baddest of them all. It actually had a smaller amount of keys when it was first invented.
Early Pianos And The Number Of Keys It Started With
It all began with Bartolomeo Cristofori who invented the predecessor of our modern piano, the fortepiano in Italy around 1700. The first fortepianos had only 4 to 5 octaves, or about 60 to 64 keys. Which is a lot smaller compared to our modern instruments of today. The sound was softer and duller than our modern pianos. That’s one of the reasons why these early pianos were not so popular in the beginning.
But gradually when some different instrument makers, Silbermann and his student Stein started producing pianos, they also started improving them in sound, range and dynamics.
Beethoven’s Influence On The Piano’s Number Of Keys
Stein’s daughter Nannette took over her father’s business. Highly unusual for a woman in that time. She and her husband became good friends with Beethoven who encouraged them to extend the range and dynamics of the piano because he needed these things for his compositions. And he wasn’t the only one.
As music composers started to write more complex music, they needed a greater range and expressiveness from their instruments. Instrument makers designed pianos to meet those needs. And to keep up with the competition of course!
Throughout the 18th century and into the early 19th century, the number of keys of the piano gradually increased. To illustrate: Beethoven’s first piano had 61 keys and his last piano had 76 keys. Imagine if the number of keys on a piano kept growing like that, they’d never fit in our house anymore!
The 19th Century: Expansion of Keys for Romantic Expression
By the early 1800s the standard piano featured around 85 to 86 keys. The 1800s also marked the start of the Romantic movement in music with famous composers like Schubert, Chopin and Liszt. Music became even more complex, bigger more dramatic and more emotional. And we already see the first piano with 88 keys arise.
The 88-Key Piano As The Standard
By the late 19th century, the 88-key piano began to become the norm. We don’t know who made the first 88-key piano. But the most influential instrument to make 88 keys the ‘magic number’, was the Steinway Model D concert grand, introduced in the late 1800s. This model became the preferred choice for concert pianists and composers and still often is.
But do we even use the whole piano? Aren’t the lowest and highest notes just for decoration? No for sure not, even if we don’t use the highest and lowest keys on the piano as often as the central octaves, there are many pieces in Romantic and 20th Century music which include the highest or lowest notes.
Just to name an example, Brahm’s Rhapsody Op. 79 No. 2. A piece which I played in my first year at the conservatory for the first time. You can listen to the amazing Argerich playing it HERE. At the 0:30 mark, is the first time you’ll hear A0 (the lowest note of the piano)
The Future Of The Number Of Keys On Our Pianos
So will the number of keys on a piano just keep growing? Or does it stop with the magic number of 88 keys?
The development of the number of keys on the piano seems greatly in line with the needs of the music that’s being composed. In our time we see mostly:
- Contemporary Music
- Modern Classical / or : Neo-Classical
- Film Music
So far, neither of these genres of classical music are in need of more than 88 keys. So, I think for now our pianos will still safely fit through the door.
FAQs
- How many keys does a standard piano have?
A modern piano typically has 88 keys, including 52 white keys and 36 black keys. - How many keys does a digital piano have?
A standard digital piano has 88 keys, however in digital instruments there is more variation than there is in modern pianos. There are smaller digital pianos that are made for people with less space, or portable models for on the go. Number of keys on these pianos include 66, 73, 77 and more. - Why did the number of keys on the piano increase over time?
The expansion of the piano’s range was driven by the desire for more expressive potential, particularly during the Romantic era. As composers sought to explore more complex harmonies and wider tonal colors, piano makers responded by increasing the number of keys. - When did the 88-key piano become the standard?
By the late 19th century, the 88-key piano became the standard, largely due to the influence of the Steinway Model D and its widespread use by concert pianists.
Did you know?
- Did you know the Imperial Bösendorfer has a number of 97 keys.
- The largest amount of piano keys is 108, an instrument built by Stuart & Sons.