Piano Types - A Quick Introduction

The two main piano types are grand pianos and upright pianos. Grand pianos are also called horizontal pianos because the frame and strings are horizontal. They are also said to producer better quality tones than uprights, and they have the most responsive key action. Every time you press a key, a small hammer strikes the string to produce the note. When the key is released, the hammer returns to its starting position. A grand's hammer falls back into position through gravity due to the horizontal construction. Uprights depend on a mechanism to return the hammer. Most experts agree that the gravity driven action of the grand is far superior because it's quicker and smoother.

Generally, pianos with longer strings produce a better quality sound. Concert grand pianos are over nine feet long and produce the highest quality tones for concert halls. Liberace, a trained classical pianist and entertainer had many rare, antique pianos that are now on display in his museum. One of his first was an over-sized, gilded Bluthner grand.

Upright or vertical piano types take up much less space than grands. Uprights were designed for home use, so they can usually fit through a door unlike a grand. Grand pianos may weigh between 530 and 1100 pounds whereas an upright weighs between 400 and 500 pounds. Uprights may cost between $1,000 and $8,000, but new grands may cost $10,000 upwards to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The first upright piano was made by Johann Schmidt of Salzburg, Austria around 1780. To save even more space, in 1802 Thomas Loud of London developed an upright with strings running diagonally. The notes of an upright are not considered to be of professional quality due to the acoustics resulting from the design. The tone quality simply cannot match that of a grand. Sound is not radiated effectively to an audience, and when the upright is pushed up against a wall, the tone is somewhat soft and dull.

There are a variety of other piano types that have been developed. The piano player was invented by Henri Fourneaux in 1863. Using pneumatic devices, it plays itself from rolls of perforated paper. In the 1980s, digital pianos were introduced to serve as an alternative to traditional acoustic ones. They are usually less expensive, smaller and have no strings to tune. The advent of the computer and digital technology has enabled the development of new piano technologies.

Whichever piano you end up owning, make sure you complement it with a beautiful piano light.