Giraffe piano

The giraffe piano is a type of an upright piano that has a "long-necked" appearance due to a narrow, but tall, upright case, essentially a grand piano set up vertically. The design had been invented in Austria around 1805 and was manufactured throughout the first half of the 19th century. This "monstrosity" eventually evolved into the modern upright piano ("pianino"). Two closely related instruments, similar in construction, but different in shape, are called the pyramid piano and the lyre piano (see the History section below).