.jpg)
I love the piano, and so does Morgan, my hero in my new release, Sinners’ Opera. He’s a classical pianist, but has been known to play Mr. Piano Man, in a low-rent piano bar in Charleston, SC while customers too drunk to listen threw money in a fishbowl.
Now, we all know what the piano is, but I thought I’d
collect a few facts about the struck string instrument. The exact time the piano was invented is
uncertain, but its birth dates to the 1700s, in Italy. The term piano is a shortened form of pianoforte, Italian for the
instrument, which in turn derives from gravicembalo
col piano e forte and fortepiano.
An acoustic piano usually has a
protective wooden case surrounding the soundboard
and metal strings, and 88 black and white keys. The strings are sounded
when the keys are pressed or struck, and silenced by a damper when the keys are
released.
Three notable brands are
Steinway, Bosendorfer (both German-made), and Mason & Hamlin, an
American-produced instrument and my personal favorite. The Mason & Hamlin features a tension bar
to stabilize and give longer life to the soundboard. The M&H has a beautiful,
round sound with rich, deep bass and bell-like treble.
A couple of companies make
electronic reproducing systems for the piano, including PianoDisc and
Pianomation by QRS Music. The keys move
as if a ghost were playing. They are
really sweet and very good inspiration. The Pianomation
System uses solenoids mounted under the keys to play the notes. In the newest
system, the solenoids are driven by a processor which is connected to your own
WiFi network. The piano can then be controlled wirelessly by any smart phone,
tablet or laptop connected to your WiFi. Using the QRS PNO app, you select the
album you want to hear, press play, and the piano will play the song you’ve
selected. If you’ve selected a song with accompaniment, that will play through
a speaker mounted under the piano.
In Sinners’ Opera, the piano
features strongly. Some type of the instrument is mentioned or waiting in the
wings as the story unfolds. It is a vampire paranormal (Morgan is an English
lord, a pianist, and a vampire.) BuyLink Only $2.99!
