See Also: piano(encyclopedia)
piano(dictionary)
piano piano(dictionary)
piano bar(dictionary)
piano(2)(dictionary)
piano(1)(dictionary)
piano stool(dictionary)
player piano(dictionary)
piano accordion(dictionary)
piano 1, noun(dictionary)

piano (iou)



piano noun2. Pl. -os. E19.
[Italian, abbreviation of PIANOFORTE or aphet. from FORTE-PIANO.]
A large keyboard musical instrument having metal strings struck by hammers and stopped by dampers, with two or three pedals to regulate the volume or length of the notes. E19.
cottage piano, grand piano, player-piano, upright piano, etc.
The playing of this instrument. M20.
Gramophone He then went on to study piano.
Comb.: piano accordion: with the melody played on a small upright keyboard, instead of on buttons; piano-action the mechanism by which the impulse of the fingers on piano keys is communicated to the strings; piano concerto: in which a piano is the solo instrument; piano-organ a mechanical piano constructed like a barrel-organ; piano quartet a quartet written for violin, viola, cello, and piano; an ensemble for playing such a quartet; piano quintet a quintet written for piano and four string instruments; an ensemble for playing such a quintet; piano reduction an arrangement of orchestral music for performance on the piano; piano roll a roll of perforated paper which controls the movement of the keys in a Pianola or similar instrument; piano score a reduced version of an orchestral or chamber score for performance on the piano; piano stool a stool for a pianist to sit on, often with a space inside for music; piano trio a trio written for a piano and two string instruments, usu. violin and cello; an ensemble for playing such a trio; piano wire strong steel wire used for piano strings.
pianoless adjective (of a group of musicians) without a piano or pianist M20.