This Classic Toy Piano dates from the 1930s. Originally made in the 1800s in Germany, toy pianos utilized a simple keyboard action with wooden hammers to strike tuned glass bars instead of strings. In 1930, instrument designer Alice Bennett created one which used tuned metal rods (tines). The sound of these tines is what we recognize today as the iconic sound of a toy piano. This diminutive keyboard has made regular appearances in popular music and is now embraced as a viable instrument in concert works. There is even an annual Toy Piano Festival at the University of California, San Diego.
Resources: Keyscape Reference Guide
All musical instrument manufacturer and product names used in Keyscape are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Spectrasonics. The trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products of those manufacturers whose tones and sounds were studied during Spectrasonics sound development. All names of musical artists and instrument inventors have been included for illustrative and educational purposes only and do not suggest any affiliation or endorsement of Keyscape by any artist or instrument inventor.
