The upright piano is a percussion instrument in which hammers strike strings, causing vibrations. The upright has its strings stretched vertically beside a soundboard, and is operated by a standard keyboard of white and black notes.

The upright piano takes up a lot less floor space than its larger relative, the grand piano.  So this is the instrument most commonly found in homes. The range is 7 octaves, from the A,  3 octaves below the A below middle C (MIDI A0),   up to the A, 3 octaves above the A above middle C. (MIDI A7)

The instrument which we today call a piano, was originally called a 'pianoforte', which is a word formed by stringing together the Italian adjectives 'piano' and ' forte', so it means 'Soft-Loud'. This instrument was a technical break-through at the time, as the player could play louder or softer by changing his touch. This was a great contrast to the harpsichord, which could not be played louder or softer by merely striking the keys harder or softer.