The
upright piano is a percussion
instrument in which hammers strike strings, causing vibrations. The upright has
its strings stretched vertically beside a soundboard, and is operated by a
standard keyboard of white and black notes.
The upright piano takes up a lot less floor space than its larger relative, the grand piano. So this is the instrument most commonly found in homes. The range is 7 octaves, from the A, 3 octaves below the A below middle C (MIDI A0), up to the A, 3 octaves above the A above middle C. (MIDI A7)
The instrument which we today call a piano, was originally called a 'pianoforte', which is a word formed by stringing together the Italian adjectives 'piano' and ' forte', so it means 'Soft-Loud'. This instrument was a technical break-through at the time, as the player could play louder or softer by changing his touch. This was a great contrast to the harpsichord, which could not be played louder or softer by merely striking the keys harder or softer.