A piano is a large musical instrument with 88 black and white keys arranged in a row. When you press a key, a small hammer inside strikes a tightly stretched string, creating a musical note. Press keys gently and you get soft, delicate sounds; strike them firmly and you get powerful, commanding tones. This range from whisper-quiet to thunderously loud is why the instrument is called a piano, from the Italian words meaning “soft” and “loud.”

The piano was invented around 1700 in Italy, and it revolutionized music by giving composers more expressive control than earlier keyboard instruments could offer. Composers like Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin wrote thousands of pieces specifically for piano. Today, pianos appear everywhere from concert halls to living rooms, from jazz clubs to rock bands. Many musicians learn piano first because understanding its keyboard helps them grasp how music works.

A grand piano has a wing-shaped body lying horizontally, while an upright piano stands vertically against a wall to save space. Modern digital pianos use electronics to recreate piano sounds without strings or hammers, making them lighter and more portable.

The word piano can also describe music played softly, written in sheet music as a p. If you see pp (called pianissimo), play even more quietly.