Who Invented the Piano Keyboard?

The term "piano keyboard" is used to refer to the keyboard on a piano and to a synthesizer. The first piano was built by Bartolomeo Cristofori. The synthesizer was invented by Elisha Gray in 1876.

History of Keyboards

Pianos, organs, harpsichords, and other instruments all use a musical keyboard to input the desired tone. The earliest instrument to have a keyboard is likely the hurdy gurdy, which dates to the Middle Ages.

The First Piano Keyboard

Bartolomeo Cristofori built the first piano in Italy around the year 1700. Surviving pianos from that time period suggest that the first piano had four octaves in its keyboard.

History of Piano Keyboards

The term "piano keyboard" is frequently used to refer to a synthesizer. This type of piano keyboard was invented by Elisha Gray in 1874. His synthesizer was operated by a 2-octave keyboard.

Types

Piano Keyboards have 7 major keys and 5 minor keys to make up the Western musical scale, with the major keys painted white and the minor keys painted black. Keyboards on a piano have 88 keys. Keyboards on a synthesizer typically have fewer keys.

Today

In the 1960s, synthesizers that used classic piano keyboards became widely available for home use. Both synthesizer piano keyboards and pianos are widely used today--in pop music, movie scores and in classical music.