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The Chinese had made an instrument called the “ke” which had strings strung over a movable bridge on a wooden box that could be plucked to produce various tones
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Pythagóras began experimenting with musical sounds and mathematics, inventing the Monochord
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A movable bridge was added to the Monochord allowing for more intonation.
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Keys were applied to the monochord and contemporary organs and began to prick strings on a scale division to make sure the instrument had proper tone.
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The clavicytherium was invented, which was an instrument with strings in a triangle like a harp.
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Improvements made to the clavicytherium led to the invention of the clavichord once additional strings were added and pins were included to the keys allowed for pressure to vibrate the strings
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Adaptations of the clavichord led to the introduction of the spinet by Giovanni Spinnetti. It was a longer-stringed clavichord with tangents that pricked the strings using a quill fastened to a jack. Unlike the clavichord, the spinet had no expression or way to manipulate the pressure or strength of the tone.
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The harpsichord was introduced as an offshoot of the spinet.
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The hammer was added to the harpsichord which was designed to create the pianoforte.
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Cristofori introduced the first hammer-action pianoforte, and is credited by many as the “inventor” of the piano, which is why he is called the creator of the piano.
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The square piano was introduced by Johannes Zumpe in London, England
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Stodard introduced the first “Grand Pianoforte”
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The Stein and Stein-Streicher piano hammer changes improved the tone of grand pianos and were preferred by many composers.
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The position of the hammer action changed to improve the sound of the square pianos which were popular for the next 100 years with minimal changes
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Many European manufacturers introduced upright pianos. Wornum’s upright became popular for its improved sound quality from others.
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Sebastian Erard’s contributions to grand piano engineering revolutionized the construction of the grand style of piano.
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Steinway & Sons introduced the first square piano with a new scale that changed the sound quality.
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The square piano was officially “extinct” in both Europe and America. Uprights were the go-to space-saving pianos for the industrialization of urban cities.
