# piano



## Setwale_Charm

All of my dictionaries give "piano" as a Dutch translation for "piano". However, I have met the word "klavier" in some books. What is the difference in usage of these two?


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## Jeedade

I would say "piano" is used for the acoustic piano, the word “klavier” is a (music) keyboard, i.e. includes electronic instruments (synthesizers) and other keyboard instruments (harpsichords, e-pianos, organs etc.).
BTW a grand piano is called a “vleugel” (=wing). Sometimes “toestenbord” or “toetsen” is used as well, e.g. “hij speelt toetsen in een band” (he plays the keyboard in a band).


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## Setwale_Charm

Heel veel dank.


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## optimistique

Jeedade said:


> I would say "piano" is used for the acoustic piano, the word “klavier” is a (music) keyboard, i.e. includes electronic instruments (synthesizers) and other keyboard instruments (harpsichords, e-pianos, organs etc.).
> BTW a grand piano is called a “vleugel” (=wing). Sometimes “toestenbord” or “toetsen” is used as well, e.g. “hij speelt toetsen in een band” (he plays the keyboard in a band).



'Klavier' may be used in Belgium in this way after the French 'clavier'. But in the Netherlands, they only use 'piano', and a keyboard is just called a keyboard. I know the word 'klavier', but I can't say what is the story behind the word. We only use 'piano' for a piano, but when you say 'klavier' I would understand it as that you mean 'piano'.


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## lotjed_13

piano = the music instrument
klavier = from a computer


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## Setwale_Charm

Veel dank.


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## ALOV

To me 'hij speelt klavier' meaning 'hij speelt piano' is quite unusual.

'Toetsen' would be more common, as mentionned in previous posts.
'Klavier' makes me think of a PC.


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## Frank06

Hi,


Setwale_Charm said:


> All of my dictionaries give "piano" as a Dutch translation for "piano". However, I have met the word "klavier" in some books. What is the difference in usage of these two?



A 'klavier' is a part of a piano (the keyboard). It's also called 'manuaal' or 'toetsenbord'.
Hence, 'klavier' can be (and is) used as a pars pro toto (metonyme, as Van Dale calls it).

In Flanders, many 'toetsenborden' are called 'klavier', including the piano 'toetsenbord' and the keyboards of a cpmputer, while in the Netherlands 'klavier' tends to be limited exactly to keyboards of musical instruments, e.g. to pianos, organs, acordions etc.
So I am afraid  that the main difference between Dutch from the Netherlands and Dutch from Flanders *doesn't* concern pianos at all. Three articles from Wikipedia might illustrate this: piano, klavier [disambiguation page] and klavier (toetsen). 
Alas, I can't quote from "Den Dikke" (Van Dale dictionary) (WR policy) or link to it (since one can only search the smaller version of the series on line).

Groetjes,

Frank


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## Jeedade

Frank06 said:


> A 'klavier' is a part of a piano (the keyboard).


This is correct.
A piano is a "klavier instrument", like organs etc. The "klavier" is just a part of the piano, as in "het klavier van de piano bestaat uit 88 toetsen" (the keyboard of the piano consists of 88 keys).


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