The differences between period keyboard instruments and modern pianos highlight the challenges of reconciling historically informed performance practices with contemporary techniques on modern instruments. Each type of instrument offers unique tonal colors and requires distinct approaches to performance. For example, playing arpeggiated chords and using Baroque articulation on a François Blanchet harpsichord, applying Viennese Classical phrasing on Anton Walter and Conrad Graf fortepianos, and performing a Romantic melodic line with an overlapping bass on Pleyel or Érard grand pianos each require techniques that differ from those used on a modern piano.

The advent of music printing, which largely replaced figured bass, has made it easier for pianists to read scores and perform music exactly as written. Consequently, the art of improvisation, the execution of ornamentation, and the adherence to rhythmic conventions—based on primary sources and historical treatises—may be unfamiliar to contemporary pianists and audiences influenced by 20th-century audio recordings. Such practices are sometimes even deemed unacceptable by juries in competitions or examinations.

Comparing manuscripts, various editions and audio recordings of well-known compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Frédéric Chopin, and demonstrating them on period instruments can provide insight into changes in performance practices. Understanding these differences is essential for achieving performances that respect both the composer’s intent and contemporary expectations regarding the instrument’s capabilities. Additionally, this review can provide specific pedagogical guidance for teaching music interpretation.