The piano is a Western classical keyboard instrument, invented by the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1709, which is about 307 years ago. It's a fantastic instrument with the ability to create a wide array of beautiful sounds that compose the heart of music.

You might assume that playing the piano is as simple as pressing keys on a sheet of music, unlike instruments like the flute, which require controlled breathing.

However, the truth is that the piano is one of the most challenging instruments to master.

Not only do you need to navigate the three pedals under your feet, but even the keys themselves can be quite bewildering.

Piano keys come in two varieties: the long, white keys and the black keys nestled in between them. This begs the question: Why this distinction?

The answer lies in the differentiation of tone levels. In Western music, we have the foundational C natural major scale consisting of seven basic tones: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

These primary tones are represented by the white keys. In addition to these seven notes, there are variations achieved by raising or lowering the basic tones by a semitone.

For instance, the pitch between C and D is represented by a black key. Consequently, each octave comprises 12 semitones - seven white keys and five black keys.

To make it more convenient for musicians to memorize and locate these keys, the black keys are grouped in intervals of two and three within each of the seven white keys.

This arrangement allows one to determine the basic tone corresponding to the white key by the position of the black keys.

For example, a white key situated between two black keys produces the sound of D, while a white key nestled between three black keys produces the sound of G. This system simplifies playing a wide variety of melodies.

On a standard piano, you'll find 52 white keys and 36 black keys, totaling 88 keys. The inclusion of black keys is what gives the piano its ability to produce richer and more vibrant tones.

However, for someone not well-versed in music theory, it may be easier to interpret simple scores as numbers 1 through 7 and be less familiar with chromatic playing. Consequently, it becomes easy to make a piano sound good but quite difficult to truly excel at playing it.

Regardless of your proficiency, the black and white keys are the core of the piano. They serve to distinguish semitones from whole tones. Some may wonder why piano keys are not in color.

The reason is quite simple: black and white keys are easier to differentiate, making it more obvious to discern between them and preventing the player from becoming overwhelmed by colorful distractions.

Whether black and white or in a spectrum of colors, the piano is an instrument with the power to express limitless possibilities. It has the ability to convey a wide range of emotions, from tenderness to excitement, melancholy to joy, allowing us to experience the enchanting world of music.