Now, let's take a closer look at the piano, the fascinating instrument that will accompany us on this musical journey. The piano is a keyboard instrument and belongs to the family of string instruments. Its sound is produced by striking strings with hammers when the keys are pressed, resulting in its characteristic tones.

A traditional piano has a total of 88 keys. Among them, there are 52 white keys and 36 black keys. The white keys represent the seven fundamental musical notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The black keys are known as accidentals and can be either sharp (#) or flat (b) depending on whether they are ascending or descending in the scale, but more about that in another lesson.

The piano is designed in a way that the patterns of notes repeat on the keys. A helpful feature is that the note C is always located directly next to the two black keys on its left side, which can provide you with a reference point for finding notes on the piano.

Another crucial aspect of the piano is its pedals. A traditional piano usually has three pedals. The right pedal, also known as the sustain pedal, produces a richer sound by lifting the dampers from the strings and allowing them to vibrate freely. The middle pedal, which can vary in functions depending on the piano model, can be used for holding individual notes or dampening strings. The left pedal, called the una corda pedal, softens the sound by shifting the hammers closer to the strings. How and when to use the pedals, will be talked about in another lesson.

The distinction between the black and white keys lies in the fact that the black keys represent semitones, while the white keys represent whole tones. This enables us to play in various keys and explore the musical nuances that make piano playing so versatile.

The piano is truly an amazing instrument that offers us infinite creative possibilities. Now that we know more about this fascinating instrument, let's dive into the world of piano playing in the following lessons and discover the magic of these musical sounds together!