Why stop at 88 keys? Most composers don't write music that includes notes beyond those available on the 88- key piano. The 88- key piano features a full seven octaves, plus a few other notes. Other manufacturers followed Steinway's lead and 88 keys has been the standard ever since. In the late 1880s, popular piano manufacturer Steinway created the 88- key piano that is the standard today. By the mid-1800s, pianos had expanded to a full seven octaves. Over the course of the history of the piano, you can find many different versions of pianos with many different numbers of keys. Composers began to work with piano makers to create pianos with more keys, so that they could write new music with a wider range.

It wasn't long before their compositions took them beyond the five octaves available on pianos at that time. 60 keys represented five octaves, since there are 12 notes in an octave.Īs more and more pianos were made, composers began to write more music for the piano. The first pianos, therefore, usually had 60 keys. The piano got its start as a modification of the harpsichord, which had 60 keys. Have you ever WONDERed why the piano has 88 keys, though? Why not 44? Or 212? Why 88? The answer, as it turns out, has both historical and practical aspects.

Each key represents a different note, giving the piano a wide range of sounds.

Unlike xylophones, which have up to 40 keys, or most woodwind instruments, which have a limited number of keys, pianos have a whopping 88 keys. Have you ever played a real piano? If so, you know how fun it can be to start at one end of the keyboard and run your finger all the way to the opposite end, playing all of the notes in the process.

In the end piano notes