Why the Piano?

[goldentone]

What is it about the piano that draws us to play it?  Why do we love it?  And why do we want to listen to it?  I enjoy listening to a pianist as much, maybe more, than an orchestra (though I love symphonic music).  In a symphony, for example, there is much more to offer, as in voices, texture, and fullness.

What is this secret key of the piano?

[Petter]

The romanticisation.

[db05]

The seclusion of the practice room, and the fact that you don't have to face the audience while performing.

[m19834]

I think it has always been, at a very basic level, the sheer sound of it for one, and then the amazing organization and layout of it in terms of the theoretical aspects of music.  From there, the actual feel of it, the topography itself and the simplicity of black and white, groups of threes and twos, repeating patterns, the range that it covers.  And then, of course, the huge body of repertoire written for it. 

The instrument lends itself to orchestral imagination, and for me it lends itself to imagination in general, yet it can be "about" extremely focused and simply tasks, too .  Musically it is amazingly versatile, it can sing, it can be a single voice, it can be a choir, it can be an orchestra or a particular instrument, it can sound legato, staccato, it can stand alone in a performance or perfectly support any other instrument, including an entire orchestra. 

The more you get to know it, it seems the more there is to get to know.  The mechanics of it are incredible and beautiful to me.  You could sleep in it or under it, you could attach a motor and use it as a vehicle .... It's just plain great !

[morningstar]

I play because I enjoy the sound and how i can manipulate it to make so many sounds... The more practical reason is it helps with my nervous problem but it's also great to pick up girls with

[communist]

it also contains the most repertoire

[goldentone]

I think it has always been, at a very basic level, the sheer sound of it for one, and then the amazing organization and layout of it in terms of the theoretical aspects of music.  From there, the actual feel of it, the topography itself and the simplicity of black and white, groups of threes and twos, repeating patterns, the range that it covers.  And then, of course, the huge body of repertoire written for it. 

The instrument lends itself to orchestral imagination, and for me it lends itself to imagination in general, yet it can be "about" extremely focused and simply tasks, too .  Musically it is amazingly versatile, it can sing, it can be a single voice, it can be a choir, it can be an orchestra or a particular instrument, it can sound legato, staccato, it can stand alone in a performance or perfectly support any other instrument, including an entire orchestra. 

The more you get to know it, it seems the more there is to get to know.  The mechanics of it are incredible and beautiful to me.

A lovely response.  

Yes, the piano does possess an amazing expressive quotient, and as I think about it now, it seems to surpass any other instrument (except an orchestra, "e pluribus unum") in being able to express more of what the musician is expressing.  And like you said, its stature is such that it can perform alone and yet lead something as big as an orchestra.

When I was a child, being able to play the piano seemed to me an almost godlike achievement and magical ability.

You could sleep in it or under it, you could attach a motor and use it as a vehicle .... It's just plain great !

  

[csharp_minor]

Simply because it is the most versatile musical instrument. It has such a wide spectrum of sound so many ranges. It can shout, sing, and whisper.  Its unusual too, its a hybrid; both a percussion instrument and a string instrument. It can sound wonderful on its own or with any other instrument or with an orchestra.  The piano can be used for any musical genre, from baroque to rock, this may be the reason it has the most repertoire written for it.

It’s also a lovely thing to look at. A grand with its large dominating appearance, organic curves and shine, once tamed no longer growls at you but will sing for you. The symmetrical layout of the keyboard with its black and white is so wonderfully simple but takes such a long time to master. The inner workings of the instrument are so marvellously complicated to look at and yet so orderly. The way the action works is poetry in motion.

[arensky]

It's complete in itself and allows me the option of musical isolation and solitude if I desire. Or I can collaborate with others if I choose. I love chords and harmony and it's certainly the best instrument for those aspects of music. My first reaction when I saw the topic was "why anything else?" 

[term]

For me that's very obvious: I have 10 fingers i can use allowing me to hold 10 keys down, resulting in a) decent spectrum from bass to alto b) complex harmony c) polyphony d) dynamic variety e) it's intuitive and easy to play

downsides: Expensive, sound dies off too quickly

[kelly_kelly]

Very simple: no intonation concerns ... I should go practice my Bartok/Serly now...