piano

Everyday

1. A piano is a big musical instrument with black and white keys. You press the keys and small hammers hit strings inside. tree →
2. In music, piano means play softly. tree →

In the lessons

In maths: a word of the story; time practising piano, piano lessons and their cost; 88 keys. In music lessons: scales, notes, practising. In science: hammers hit strings that vibrate to make sound; longer strings make lower notes. In stories: a grand piano in a big hall.

Examples

• She practises the piano 30 minutes a day. tree →
• Each piano lesson costs 20 dollars. tree →
• A piano has 88 keys. tree →
• How long did he play the piano this week? tree →
• She plays the piano in the school concert. tree →
• The piano has 52 white keys and 36 black keys. tree →
• Inside the piano, hammers hit the strings. tree →
• Moving a piano needs four strong people. tree →
• The teacher wrote «p» for piano, which means softly. tree →
• But when the old man played, the piano sounded quite out of tune. tree →

Note

Usually lessons or practice time give rates. Hidden number: a piano has 88 keys (52 white, 36 black). Trap: «a day» × 7 for a week. Plural: pianos (not pianoes). A person who plays it is a pianist. «Practise» (verb) is the British spelling; American is «practice».