Word forms: plural pianospronunciation note: Pronounced (piænoʊ) for meaning [sense 1], and (piɑːnoʊ) for meaning [sense 3].
1. variable noun
A piano is a large musical instrument with a row of black and white keys. When you press these keys with your fingers, little hammers hit wire strings inside the piano which vibrate to produce musical notes.
I taught myself how to play the piano.
He started piano lessons at the age of 7.
...sonatas for cello and piano.
...Rachmaninov's Fourth Piano Concerto.
2. See also grand piano, upright piano
3. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
A piece of music that is played piano is played quietly.
[technical]
piano in British English1
(pɪˈænəʊ)
nounWord forms: plural-anos
a musical stringed instrument resembling a harp set in a vertical or horizontal frame, played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike the strings and produce audible vibrations
See also grand piano, upright piano
Word origin
C19: short for pianoforte
piano in British English2
(ˈpjɑːnəʊ)
adjective, adverb
music
(to be performed) softly
Symbol: p
Word origin
C17: from Italian, from Latin plānus flat; see plain1
Piano in British English
(Italian pjˈɑno)
noun
Renzo. born 1937, Italian architect; buildings include the Pompidou Centre, Paris (1977; with Richard Rogers), the Potsdamer Platz redevelopment, Berlin (1998), and the Shard, London (2012)
piano in American English1
(piˈɑnoʊ; pjˈænoʊ)
[also in italics]; Music
adjective, adverb
1.
soft(ly)
often used as a musical direction see also forte2
nounWord forms: pluralpiˈanos
2.
a passage to be performed piano
Word origin
It, soft, smooth < L planus, smooth, plane1
piano in American English2
(piˈænoʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralpiˈanos
a large keyboard instrument, each key of which operates a small, felt-covered hammer that strikes and vibrates a corresponding wire or set of wires stretched on a metal frame that is enclosed in a wooden case of various forms
Word origin
It, contr. < pianoforte
Examples of 'piano' in a sentence
piano
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
He wrote his first two piano concertos as largely autobiographical works.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Somebody objected and told him to get on with playing the piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The piano was his instrument of choice.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His mother was a teacher who played the piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Cash luck sparkles where a piano plays.
The Sun (2016)
To be great, he plays the piano.
The Sun (2016)
It is eerie green with blooming aurora; ripples of light play like piano keys above me.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At the end of the night, he sat at the piano and played a song for us.
The Sun (2017)
His mother was a piano teacher who played the organ at the local Baptist church and taught him at an early age.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I kinda elbowed and shouldered, but definitely played the piano and threw up.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Imagine a family of mice who lived all their lives in a large piano.
Christianity Today (2000)
She also risked life and limb playing a flaming piano for the set.
The Sun (2009)
And piano concertos are more widespread still.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He grew up in a musical household and was drawn to the piano at age three.
Wills, Christopher The Runaway Brain: the Evolution of Human Uniqueness (1993)
With that came the entertainment of piano or acoustic guitar and songs.
The Sun (2010)
She used to play the piano but the instrument has been warped by the tropical heat.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Learning the piano suddenly made music physical.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He also plays the cello and piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She had a piano teacher she went to live with.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He was playing a piece of piano music on his gramophone and smoking a cigarette.
John Cornwell Seminary Boy (2006)
Qualified piano teachers are more prepared to take on older pupils.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There are a couple of mercurial piano and violin solos but the minimalist harmonies keep calm and carry on.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Underneath it is a large piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The final programme tonight focuses on the Steinway grand piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There she dabbled in painting, played the piano and the harp.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The melodies were worked out on her new favourite instrument, the piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Usually it's a screaming match which ends up being accompanied by beautiful piano music.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
His instruments were piano and cello and he loved to play Gershwin.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
But its solo repertoire is meagre, compared with the violin or piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I have seen one that has been made from a grand piano.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He began playing piano at the age of six, in his home city of Jakarta.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Fans delight in her extravagant on-stage stunts, such as dripping fake blood or setting her piano alight.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Countless piano concertos have been written, many of them masterpieces, but we tend to get a small selection recycled in our concert halls.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Word lists with
piano
instrument, Musical expressions and tempo instructions, orchestra
In other languages
piano
British English: piano /pɪˈænəʊ/ NOUN
A piano is a large musical instrument with a row of black and white keys, which you strike with your fingers.
I taught myself how to play the piano.
American English: piano
Arabic: بِيَّانُو
Brazilian Portuguese: piano
Chinese: 钢琴
Croatian: klavir
Czech: klavír
Danish: klaver
Dutch: piano
European Spanish: piano
Finnish: piano
French: piano
German: Klavier
Greek: πιάνο
Italian: piano
Japanese: ピアノ
Korean: 피아노
Norwegian: piano
Polish: fortepian
European Portuguese: piano
Romanian: pian
Russian: пианино
Latin American Spanish: piano
Swedish: piano
Thai: เปียโน
Turkish: piyano
Ukrainian: піаніно
Vietnamese: đàn piano
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All related terms of 'piano'
piano bar
a cocktail lounge which has a counter and chairs built around a piano at which a musician plays and, sometimes, sings ; also , the piano and counter combination
forte-piano
loud and then immediately soft
grand piano
A grand piano is a large piano whose strings are set horizontally to the ground . Grand pianos are used especially for giving concerts and making recordings .
mezzo piano
somewhat louder than piano but softer than forte ; moderately soft
piano duet
a piece of music composed for two people each playing the piano
piano music
printed music intended to be played on the piano
piano organ
a mechanical piano that is built like a barrel organ
piano piece
a piece of music played on the piano
piano roll
a perforated roll of paper actuating the playing mechanism of a Pianola
piano stool
a stool on which a pianist sits when playing a piano , esp one whose height is adjustable
piano trio
an instrumental ensemble consisting of a piano , a violin , and a cello
piano tuner
someone whose job is to adjust the strings in a piano to the correct pitch
piano wire
a very thin steel wire of high tensile strength
thumb piano
→ kalimba
cottage piano
a small upright piano
piano lesson
an occasion when someone teaches you to play the piano
piano nobile
the main floor of a large house, containing the reception rooms: usually of lofty proportions
piano player
any of various devices for playing a piano automatically
piano teacher
someone who teaches people how to play the piano
player piano
A player piano is a type of mechanical piano. When you press the pedals , air is forced through holes in a roll of paper to press the keys and play a tune .
square piano
an obsolete form of piano , horizontally strung and with an oblong frame
street piano
an instrument consisting of a cylinder turned by a handle and having pins on it that interrupt the air flow to certain pipes , thereby playing any of a number of tunes
stride piano
a piano style characterized by single bass notes on the first and third beats and chords on the second and fourth
upright piano
An upright piano is a piano in which the strings are arranged vertically, rather than horizontally as they are in a grand piano.
electric piano
a piano operated by electrical means
piano accordion
an accordion in which the right hand plays a piano-like keyboard
piano concerto
a musical piece composed for the piano accompanied by an orchestra
piano reduction
a musical score having the parts condensed or simplified in two staves , to render the music playable on the piano by one person
prepared piano
a piano in which some strings have been damped by having objects placed between them or tuned differently from the rest for specific tonal effect. This process was pioneered by John Cage
concert grand (piano)
the largest size of grand piano , for concert performance
baby grand
a small grand piano , approximately 5 feet long
concert grand
a full-size grand piano , usually around 7 feet in length
stridden
a long step or pace
stride
If you stride somewhere , you walk there with quick , long steps.
Chinese translation of 'piano'
piano
(pɪˈænəu)
n(c)
钢(鋼)琴 (gāngqín) (架, jià)
All related terms of 'piano'
grand piano
大钢(鋼)琴 dàgāngqín [ 架 jià ]
2 hours' piano practice
2小时(時)的练(練)琴时(時)间(間) èr xiǎoshí de liànqín shíjiān