Musicians say that it is very easy to distinguish a professional pianist from an amateur, without even listening to how he plays. You need to ask the person if he plays the piano. The dilettante will answer: "Yes", the professional will correct: "On the piano." There is a grain of truth in this example of musical humor: professional musicians and even connoisseurs and connoisseurs of music know perfectly well what is the difference between concepts such as piano, piano and grand piano.
Piano is a general concept. This is the name of any musical instrument in which the sound is produced by striking a hammer on a string. A highly complex system connects hammers to keys that the performer presses.
Such an instrument was created in 1709 by the Italian musical master B. Cristofori. He tried to overcome the shortcomings of keyboards that existed at that time - harpsichords and clavichords: a rapidly decaying sound, the inability to change the volume on one keyboard.
The new instrument provided such an opportunity, which is why it was called the piano ("loudly-quietly" in translation from Italian). Subsequently, German masters and musicians K. Schroeter, I. Silbermann, I. Stein, I. Streicher, I. Zumpe were engaged in the improvement of the piano.
But the piano is a general concept, something like a "generic name". This instrument comes in two specific varieties - grand piano and upright piano.
Piano
The piano's body, which houses the strings and the mechanical part, has a wing-shaped shape - it is noteworthy that this is how the very first piano made by B Cristofori looked like. The body is located horizontally. The size of the piano is quite large.
The grand piano has a rich, rich timbre. The sound of this instrument is very strong, it is capable of sounding a large concert hall, towering even above a symphony orchestra. The sound of a grand piano is especially strong when the lid is opened. The design allows it to be raised by half or completely.
The grand piano is equipped with three pedals: the right one prolongs the sound, the second one makes it quieter, and the middle one creates the effect of a split keyboard, prolonging the sound only of those keys that the musician pressed simultaneously with the pedal.
Piano
The piano body is rectangular and vertical. The size of the piano is inferior to the grand piano, such an instrument easily fits even in a small room.
The sound of a piano is much weaker than that of a grand piano, the design of the instrument does not allow to amplify it by opening the lid. However, no one demands this. If the grand piano is intended for large concert halls, then the piano is used for home music making, for practicing in small offices of music schools and other educational institutions.
The piano does not have a middle pedal that allows you to "split the keyboard"; it is equipped with only two pedals - right and left.
