what were dark keys on a piano originally made of?

Answer 1

It seems that around 1700 ivory was used for key covering at times. Many and varied materials have been used for this purpose, including bone, mother-of-pearl, porcelain, tortoise-shell, silver, boxwood, cedar, ebony, pear and other rare and polished woods. At times the fronts of the naturals were beautifully carved. In 1816 a set of new replacement keys for a Broadwood grand would have cost £3 s0 d0, and for a square £2 s15 d0.

The English and Viennese actions arrived on the scene around 1772 and the fronts of the Viennese keys were more often ivory, like those on a modern piano. Silberman's keys used very thick ivory, 2.5 mm. French and English keyboards had moulded, inverted step-like keys which used decorative box woods and sometimes the fronts were carved as well. Sometime in the 1830s they changed to the key front shape we know to day.

Clagget in 1788 patented the idea of putting glass on keys and later the French were using porcelain. This was all an attempt to get the customer to buy the cheap end of the piano lines.

In 1862 Cellulose was first made artificially from gun-cotton by A.Parkes, of Birmingham UK. Called "Parkesine", it could simulate ivory. In 1869 John & Isaiah Hyatt (1837 - 1920), of New York, produced Celluloid from camphor and pyroxlin (cellulose nitrate), and in 1870 Hyatt was granted a patent in the USA. Cellulose has been used for the key coverings on the cheaper pianos since then.

In 1963 Pratt, Read & Co. introduced a moulded plastic shell wrapped around the wooden core of the keys so that no wood was exposed. At present there is an embargo on the use of ivory for key coverings

Answer 2

Ebony

Answer 3

Ebony

Answer 4

Traditionally, the black keys were made from ebony and the white keys were covered with strips of ivory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano

Answer 5

Ebony as in the song "Ebony and Ivory"
the white keys were Ivory

Answer 6

Ebony wood, and the white ones Ivory, thats where the saying 'Ebony and Ivory' comes from.

Answer 7

Ebony.

Answer 8

same as the fretboards on good guitars .. Ebony! remember Steve Wonders song?

Answer 9

ebony

Answer 10

ebony