Piano is a large keyboard instrument whose strings are struck by hammers when keys are pressed. It can also refer to the music written for such an instrument or the instrument’s case itself. In everyday use, “piano” denotes both the tool and the repertoire, with emphasis on the instrument’s versatile dynamics from soft to loud.
"She learned to play the piano at a young age."
"The concert featured pieces from classical to modern piano repertoire."
"Please set the piano’s lid to a safe, resting position."
"He bought a new digital piano to practice quietly at home."
Piano comes from the Italian term gravando, historically used to refer to the soft-dynamic contrast marking in music notation, but the instrument’s name traces to the instrument built by Bartolomeo Cristofori in the early 18th century. The name piano is a shortened form of pianoforte, from Italian pieno (soft, piano) and forte (loud). The instrument’s modern development consolidated through the 1700s as composers exploited its wide dynamic range. The first known reference to pianoforte appears in 1711 in a description of Cristofori’s invention, and over time the name piano became standard in English-speaking regions for the instrument in itself and in concert settings.
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Words that rhyme with "Piano"
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US: /pɪˈænoʊ/ (stress on the second syllable). UK: /ˌpiːˈænəʊ/ or /pɪˈænoʊ/ variations; AU: /ˈpiː.ə.nəʊ/ or /pɪˈænoʊ/. Focus on the second syllable being emphasized; avoid a hard first syllable. Pronounce as ‘pih-AH-noh’ with clear second syllable emphasis.
Mistakes: treating ‘pi’ as a long /iː/ in US; inserting a 'y' glide before the second syllable; or flattening the second vowel into /ə/ instead of a clear /æ/ or /æ/ variant. Correction: keep the /ɪ/ or /pɪ/ initial, stress the /æ/ vowel in the second syllable, end with a pure /oʊ/. Use slow tempo to isolate vowels, then speed up.
US speakers often say /pɪˈænoʊ/ with a shorter first vowel and a clearer /oʊ/ finale; UK speakers may use /ˌpiːˈænəʊ/ with a shorter first vowel and a lighter final /əʊ/; Australian tends to a slightly longer first vowel, with final /əʊ/ and less rhoticity. The second syllable carries the primary stress in many varieties, though some UK pronunciations place stress on the first part depending on context.
Because it involves a stressed second syllable with a diphthong in the final vowel and an unstressed first syllable. For non-native speakers, distinguishing /æ/ vs /eɪ/ in the second syllable and articulating the /ˈæ/ vowel in the middle can be tricky, as can producing the closing /oʊ/ without turning it into /o/ or /ou/. Practice with minimal pairs to stabilize the vowel transitions and keep the pace even.
No silent letters in standard pronunciation. The word is pronounced with three sounds /pɪ-æ-noʊ/ in most dialects, with the middle /æ/ or /æ/ depending on variant. The key is keeping the second syllable clearly stressed and the final /oʊ/ intact. Some speakers reduce the first vowel slightly in fast speech; maintain the beat between syllables to avoid slurring.
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