A typical piano has 88 keys spanning just over seven octaves. There are other, smaller keyboards or synthesizers that have fewer keys – most come in increments of 25, 32, 49, 61 or 72 keys.

Why are there 88 keys on a piano? Why not 44, or 200? Let’s go back to the days before the piano, when composers wrote for the harpsichord, which has just 60 keys, and each key is ...

A standard piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black. But who decided this number would be the norm, and why? The king of instruments has played a significant role in music history. From concertos and ...