Characteristics of Modern Day Piano

The Piano Frame patented by Theodore Steinway in 1885.

As a preeminent piano manufacturer, Steinway & Sons helped shaped the grand piano as we know it today; let’s explore some defining features of the modern day piano that Steinway is responsible for conceiving. 

88 Keys - Many pianos as late as the 1880s still had only about 60 keys and composers often found that the limited octaves restricted their ability to write more interesting music. It wasn’t until Steinway & Sons started producing pianos with 88 keys that it gradually became the standard for pianos of that era and thenceforth. 

Piano Frame - Forming the backbone of every grand piano today is the cast-iron plate that supports the piano's immense string tension. In 1885, following their earlier patent on overstringing (whereby the bass strings sit higher and across other strings), Steinway & Sons patents the ‘bell shape’ design of the cast-iron plate, inadvertently creating the ‘round’ grand piano shape we are familiar with today. 

Sostenuto Pedal – Patented by Steinway & Sons in 1874, the Sostenuto Pedal also known as the middle pedal, allows the pianist to sustain only the depressed notes. Along with the left Una Corda pedal (which creates a softer and slightly different tone), and the right Sustain pedal (which raises the dampers allowing all the strings to vibrate freely), the Sostenuto pedal is widely accepted as a definitive feature in the modern day grand piano's 3-pedal-assembly. 

The principle of duplex scaling, designed and calculated by STEINWAY together with German Physicist Helmholtz.

Duplex Scaling – Adopted by almost every notable grand piano manufacturer today, the duplex scale is intended to allow the non-speaking length of the string to vibrate in harmony with the speaking length of the string struck by the hammer, this technology was also a Steinway & Sons patent from 1872.

With its rich heritage in piano technology and lasting legacy in modern day pianos, Steinway & Sons would go on to influence the world of pianos in the many years to come.