

The tangent acted as a bridge determining the speaking length of the string. A tangent was fitted to the back of each key, which when raised contacted the single string, and facilitated simultaneous notes. 1157 Around the middle of the twelfth century we find the keyed monochord, which was developed further, several strings being added, until eventually we recognize the clavichord. The colour red was used by some composers to indicate metric alterations, the use of such "colouration," as it was known, later giving way to other devices. Around 1400 in England the system of notation began to resemble our modern form, with open and closed notes. Then around 1160 in Paris the familiar five lines of the staff can be seen with the music notation, giving a clearer sense of pitch.

At first it was crude, no more than a simple curve to indicate that the pitch should rise or fall. 800 Around this time in Rome, music notation started to be developed. The strings of the psaltery are plucked with the fingers or with a feather quill, as are the strings on the harpsichord. Small wooden hammers are used on the strings of the dulcimer to set the strings vibrating, much as the hammers do on the piano's strings. The dulcimer and the psaltery may look alike, but they are played differently. The hammer dulcimer is an ancient instrument dating back to before Christ, and it originated in Iran. The psaltery can be considered a forerunner of the harpsichord, since the strings are plucked, just as the dulcimer can be considered a forerunner of the piano, since its strings are struck. It is a shallow closed box where strings are stretched and sounded by plucking with the fingers or plectra. The psaltery was common in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It was plucked, and would now be referred to as a tone metre. The bridge is moved to each marking to give you a new note. The monochord is simply a sound box with a single string stretched over a movable bridge to the position required, which is determined by a scale marked by "0" on the surface. The harmonic curve caused by the varied speaking lengths of strings dictated the shape of the frame of the piano and broadly follows the shape of a harp. The first stringed instrument was the harp, on which the strings are plucked. Once two or more parallel strings were added to the bow, a rudimentary harp was created. Later it would have become clear that by stopping the string at different points and varying its length and thickness it could be made to sound other notes. The hunter would also have heard that the string of his bow would sound a definite pitch. If you need to find out the age your piano, or you can't find information about your piano make on one of our history pages, you could ask one of our experts at our Piano History Forum.įROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME At some time in the distant past, ancient man must have discovered that by stretching a thong between the horns of a dead animal, or on a branch that forked, a musical sound could be produced. Also visit the main history page for more articles on piano history and links to other history pages. If you have any comments please email me.

To speed up loading of this page, the photos will open in a new window. We now have some photos of pianos, shown in chronological order or next to the relevant piano maker. The page will be updated on a regular basis. Throughout history has lead to many taking pianoĬlasses to learn this historical art. Meanwhile, many piano technicians also have previous career experience in roles such as systems programmer or internship.This history of the piano covers the period from the piano's invention to modern times, with background information on its predecessors in earlier centuries. In fact, many piano technician jobs require experience in a role such as music teacher. You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a piano technician. Other degrees that we often see on piano technician resumes include associate degree degrees or master's degree degrees. When we researched the most common majors for a piano technician, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or high school diploma degrees.
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Even though most piano technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.Ĭhoosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a piano technician.

In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.0% of piano technicians have master's degrees. We've determined that 57.3% of piano technicians have a bachelor's degree. If you're interested in becoming a piano technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need.
