Why is the piano referred to as “The King of Instruments”? The fact that pianists and musicians from all around the world love the instrument shouldn’t come as a surprise. But how did it earn such a prestigious nickname? In this blog, we’ll discuss just that but before we dive in, let’s start with a little introduction to Piano.
What is a Piano?
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument where the strings are struck with softer-coated wooden hammers. With the thumbs and fingers of both hands, the pianist presses or strikes a row of keys on a keyboard to cause the hammers to strike the strings as they are used to play the instrument.
How does playing the piano make you happy?
Playing the piano will help you develop a number of skills that will make you more successful and ultimately happier in life.
- Playing the piano sharpens your concentration. When you’re playing the piano, you have to focus on the pitch, rhythm, note duration, tempo, and several other things. This is really a multi-level concentration exercise that helps your brain.
- Learning to play the piano improves memory. Your brain is stimulated while you play the piano. The activated areas of your brain enlarge and become more active as you learn and play songs.
- Learning to play the piano gives you patience. It takes time and effort to learn new songs. You stay motivated, develop patience, and sharpen your tenacity as you anticipate playing it on the piano.
- It improves your listening skills to play the piano. When you interact with others, these are equally crucial. Playing an instrument makes one a better listener.
- Playing the piano teaches you discipline. As it requires more concentration, you slowly learn to discipline yourself. And discipline equals happiness.
You could get the impression after reading the list above that playing the piano makes you more successful than happy. True, but happiness and success ultimately go hand in hand.
Why is the Piano Called “The King of Instruments”?
Let’s start with history. Italian inventor Bartolomeo di Francesco invented the first piano sometime during the 1700s. He was appointed as the harpsichord builder for the Grand Prince of Tuscany. What is his official designation? Keeper of the Instruments. Some people think that’s where the word “piano” came from.
A pianist or songwriter will probably say that the piano is known as the King of Instruments because of its remarkable tonal range and adaptability. The piano offers all of the tones and notes found in all other musical instruments. From the lowest note of the double bassoon to the highest note of the piccolo, the piano is equipped to produce it. Thanks to this, the piano can now offer melody and accompaniment for any song or instrument. Whether the piano is used in an orchestral piece, a rock song, or a hip-hop tune, it goes well with everything.
Lastly, consider its size and complexity. The standard piano has 88 keys, 230 strings, and over 7,000 components. This is why they are so heavy. Even the tiniest pianos weigh more than 300 lbs, while the biggest grand pianos can weigh over 1,000 lbs.
Regardless of how it got its name, the piano is worthy of the title “King of the Instruments” because of its remarkable range and variety as well as the emotive sounds and sentiments it generates.
Final Thoughts: It’s never too late to start learning piano. The mental and physical benefits apply to all ages. If you want to learn more about Piano, we recommend learning from youtube. Because youtube is free and it has all the knowledge you need. The only issue with YouTube is that it is not organized as an online course. It really helps when each video is arranged like chapters in a book. You can use Career Ninja‘s Learn Tube to do just that. The platform arranges Youtube videos into a course-like format. If you want to learn “Piano tutorial” search that term on LearnTube and it will show you a bunch of videos like an online course. As a beginner, you’ll click through the videos from the first to the last, as if you were taking an online course tailored specifically for you.
