The role of the piano
Piano and Keyboard
The piano is a crucial instrument in Western classical music, jazz, film, television, and most other complex western musical genres. Since a large number of composers are proficient pianists—and because the piano keyboard offers an easy means of complex melodic and harmonic interplay—the piano is often used as a tool for composition.
Pianos were, and still are, popular instruments for private household ownership, especially among the middle and upper classes. Hence, pianos have gained a place in the popular consciousness, and are sometimes referred to by nicknames including: “the ivories”, “the joanna”, “the eighty-eight”, and “the black(s) and white(s)”, “the little joe(s)”. Playing the piano is sometimes referred to as “tickling the ivories”.
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