There are only so many notes available to songwriters hoping to create music which will be

enjoyed on a large scale in the Western world.

12 notes as a matter of fact.

Consequently, much of our response to music is determined by the techniques used in sounding

notes rather than which of the 12 they are.

We're affected more by how the notes are than what they are.

This is why even though there are only 12 notes, there are dozens of symbols used in sheet music

to communicate how those notes should be played.

If the what was the most important thing, sheet music would be simple dots on simple lines.

Instead, composers blanket their sheet music with annotations to instruct musicians on the duration a note should be held,

techniques to manipulate the delivery of a note, methods of approach and departure, the level of force to apply, and so on.

So many hows for each little what?

The modern piano was invented less than 100 years prior to the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Before piano, keyboard instruments built for concert performance were limited to pipe organs and variations on the harpsichord.

Unlike a snare drum, every tone sounded by a harpsichord is approximately equal in loudness, regardless of how much force is or isn't a

applied by the musician.

Same thing with a pipe organ, which also happens to be the loudest musical instrument on the planet.

While there's nothing stopping anyone from playing the beginning of the Moonlight Sonata on a pipe organ,

it would sound ridiculous and convey none of the feeling intended by the composer.

Similarly, Keith Jarrett's colon concert would not be one of the best selling jazz albums ever had he chosen to play a harpsichord instead of a piano.

The piano was invented purely with the intent of introducing dynamic range to keyboard instruments.

Harpsichord with soft and loud is the English translation of its Italian creator's full name for his design, which was abbreviated to piano forte, meaning soft loud.

...