How Many Octaves Do Pianos Have?
Octaves are an important musical concept that helps arrange compositions and improvisations in various ways, with few instruments having more octaves than a piano. This common performance instrument is often the center of a composer’s life due to its multiple octaves and the ease it provides in arranging and writing new songs. The number of piano octaves can do much to dictate a composer’s approach and affect the kind of music they write.
Piano Octaves Vary Depending on the Size
Pianos are by no means a singular instrument in size and use, as their number of keys can be as small as 25 on very small keyboards up to 88 on a full-sized piano. As a result, their octaves will naturally vary. Let’s break down a few of the most common piano sizes and showcase the number of octaves each contains:
- 88-Key Pianos: The modern upright or classical piano comes with 88 keys, which include 52 natural (white) and 36 unnatural keys (flats or sharps). This gives you seven full octaves plus one-quarter of an octave or a minor third, including three extra treble notes up to a very high C.
- 85-Key Pianos: While pretty rare by modern standards, the 85-key piano was produced heavily throughout the 1940s and before. They include seven full octaves but lack the top three extra notes that let you play certain pieces. Most people could probably get by with one of these models just fine, though.
- 76-Key Pianos: Large electronic keyboards often have 76 keys, as do some more compact analog pianos. They have six and one-half octaves, which should give you more than enough for a digital experience. They’re not commonly used for classical or jazz pieces, however.
- 61-Key Pianos: This five-octave keyboard is standard for many electronic keyboards and is commonly used by traveling pop or rock musicians. It has enough keys for most pop and rock songs, though it lacks the upper- and lower-end that other pianos possess.
- 25-37 and 49-Key Pianos: These smaller pianos are useful for practicing and have 2-4 octaves. They’re also a good model for learning for children players because they’re smaller, easier to transport, and help introduce children to the art of playing.
Synthesizer Keyboards may vary
Smaller synthesizer keyboards may also have as few as one octave that can be adjusted up and down using levers. Modern electronic pianos can provide up to 18 octaves in this way, though the extreme ends become hard to tolerate on the human ear. The standard 88-key piano’s seven and one-quarter octaves fall easily within what the human ear can enjoy in music.
Why Piano Sizes Vary So Heavily
When the piano was invented in 1688 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, it had just 32 keys but was later expanded to 54 to play the four octaves common in music at the time. In fact, those 54 keys are still used in a vast majority of music even now! The extra octaves added to pianos over the years have mostly been the results of boundary-pushing musicians trying to get more out of their instruments than the 54 keys initially promised.
For example, the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw composers like Bach creating pieces with wilder dynamics that required more keys and octaves. Innovative composers like Joseph Haydn, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart demanded at least seven octaves on all their pianos. And while 96 keys are available on a Bosendorfer Imperial (for up to eight octaves), most grand pianos have just 88.
How Many Keys Are In Piano Octaves?
Even a first-year elementary music student can tell you that there are seven notes in an octave, eight if you count the duplicated note at the end of the cycle. For example, a C major scale has C, D, E, F, G, A, and B, with the C after the B either ending the octave or beginning the next. However, a piano octave has 11 keys, rather than eight, because it contains five sharp (#) or flat (b)notes.
These include C#/Db, D#/Eb, F#/Gb, G#/Ab, and A#/Bb. Sharp and flat names vary based on the notes in a scale because a scale cannot contain a note with the same letter. For example, a scale with a natural A would have a Bb to differentiate between the two, even though the key is literally the same as the A#. That’s why a 96-key piano has eight octaves instead of 12 mathematically.
Are Low or High Octaves Used That Commonly?
If you’re listening to pop, rock, soul, R&B, and other popular genre pianists, you’re probably hearing no more than 54-60 keys. Most popular songs fall within this range because the notes in this range are the most pleasing to the ear and are also easier to perform. Most of the notes on the extreme end of a piano are going to be hard for anyone but the most skilled singer to hit easily.
However, 88-key pianos exist for a reason: classical and even jazz composers and players need those extra keys for complex pieces. For example, the 88-key piano is essential when playing Debussy’s acclaimed Preludes because he regularly uses the top three notes beyond a traditional 85-key range. Debussy and other risk-taking composers made this range essential.
Stravinsky often used low-end keys to produce ominous effects in his early compositions. The deepest octaves on a piano have very loose strings that vibrate and resonate longer. Pianists can use the sustain pedal with these notes to create cascading sound pieces. However, they are traditionally not used outside of more extreme or experimental work in modern times.
What’s a Good Piano Octaves Range for Modern Pianists?
Do modern players need seven or more piano octaves for their playing? That probably depends on their preferred genre. Pop players probably don’t need those extreme tones unless they want to play unique styles. For example, they may play electronic pianos in electronic music to produce sustained deep tones. This may make their music exciting or diverse. That said, most pop music will likely stick within that sweet 54- to 60-key mid-range tonality in the keyboard’s middle.
As a result, many pianists can probably do well with 61- to 76-key pianos. As mentioned previously, modern electronic pianos make it very easy to adjust octaves to higher levels. For instance, the flick of a switch may push a four-octave piano to a lower or higher register and make it easier for a performer to hit those high notes. A skilled pianist may even play those difficult Preludes by carefully switching their piano at the key points throughout the piece.
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