Upright vs Grand Pianos | Which is Better for You? | Common Misconceptions & Myths

 

As one of North America’s largest piano retailers, we’re blessed to get to interact with piano shoppers looking for upright, grand and digital pianos face-to-face, every single day.

As a result, we’ve been able to observe many of the common misconceptions a lot of people have with regard to upright vs grand pianos - specifically, as to how these two types of piano relate to one another. There are misconceptions surrounding every musical instrument, and pianos are certainly not immune.

In today’s article and companion video, we’re going to cover the 6 most commonly held misconceptions and myths we encounter related to comparing upright and grand pianos. Our goal is to clear up these misconceptions and hopefully shed some light on the conversation, especially if you’re trying to decide between these two types of acoustic pianos.

Let’s get into it.

Upright vs Grand Pianos - Background

Anyone who watches our YouTube channel or reads our blogs with any regularity will know that our company President and in-house piano reviewer Stu Harrison has a soft spot for great upright pianos.

This sentiment has definitely trickled down to the rest of us here at Merriam Pianos, and as a result, we often find customers shopping for a used or new piano surprised when we articulate some of the many virtues of the upright piano since some people have the idea that grand pianos are automatically superior to uprights.

This simply isn’t the case, and the topic requires much more nuance - you’re not necessarily compromising even if you have less space and have chosen to go with an upright. That’s really the impetus for this article - to clear up some of those biases lingering around out there that are simply not rooted in fact.

Here’s myth #1.

 

Myth #1: Grand Pianos are Always More Expensive than Upright Pianos

This myth simply isn’t true, but we need to add some additional context. Upright pianos vary in price with regular production models starting at around $3,000 and $4,000 and going all the way up to eclipsing the $70,000 mark. Of course, there are grand pianos that can be much higher priced than $70,000, but generally speaking, the vast majority of grand pianos that get sold cost somewhere in the $10,000 to $30,000 range. In other words, there's tons of overlap.

Now, why are the most expensive grand pianos more costly than the most expensive uprights? The single biggest reason for this price difference is the grand piano's rim. There are several different manufacturing techniques and material options that various manufacturers use ranging in price, but no matter what, constructing a rim greatly increases production time.

Generally, a good rule of thumb that we've used for guiding customers in this is if you want an equal quality upright to grand, then you generally have to double the price of a grand piano to get the same as what you're getting on a comparable upright. A Yamaha U1 for example will outplay just about any new equally priced grand piano.

 

Myth #2: Grand pianos are Louder than Upright Pianos

Just like our first myth, on its face, this myth is false. An upright piano with a similar-sized soundboard and similar-length strings will produce exactly the same volume as a grand piano with the same dimensions. For example, if you were looking at a 52” upright with approximately a 51-inch bass string length, a 5’8” to 5’10” grand piano will give you approximately the same size of the soundboard as well as string length.

We actually did this experiment for ourselves and measured the decibel output of a 50” C. Bechstein upright piano against a 6’2” Shigeru Kawai SK-3 and found that the volume output was exactly the same, and arguably even the overall sound quality.

As a result of inherent design differences and the reality that most people keep their upright piano lids closed, grand pianos will generally have better projection and sound louder, but this disparity lessens if the upright piano lid is opened. The other factor is that larger grand pianos from about the mid 6’ range up to 9’ simply don’t have comparable upright piano alternatives, thereby creating the impression that grands are simply louder than upright pianos.

 

Myth #3: Grand Pianos are for Advanced Players, Uprights are for Beginners

Out of the three myths so far, this one is closest to the truth, although, just like the other two, there are plenty of instances where this is simply not the case. Sure, at a certain level of advancement as a pianist, a grand piano is probably what you’ll want to have if you're preparing for performance, or doing some recording, but that only applies to certain people.

Grand pianos and upright pianos have several physical differences, but one of the most important differences is the action, and that’s very relevant here. On a grand piano's action, the hammer returns to its rest position almost entirely due to gravity at a low dynamic level and a combination of gravity plus rebound from the hammer striking the string when we're in an upper velocity or higher dynamic range (often referred to as escapement).

On an upright piano, gravity plays a role, but the hammer is not directly returned to its resting position because of gravity and its own weight. Instead, a piece in the action called a bridle strap helps reset the key. And it's a bit of a clumsy motion. In higher dynamic ranges control is just fine, but in lower dynamic ranges that control gets a little bit compromised.

Those differences between upright and grand actions mean that for advanced players (especially classical advanced players), a grand piano is going to give you a level of control and consistency that most uprights simply are not capable of.

Now, 99% of all piano buyers and players simply are not at that level which means that for beginners, hobbyists and even for people playing up to conservatory level 9 or 10, a really good upright piano is going to deliver a great musical experience without much or any compromise.

One other factor is if you’re practicing advanced repertoire and specifically need a sostenuto pedal you might think that an upright piano is out since the middle pedal is typically a mute pedal (the other two pedals are still the traditional soft pedal and damper pedal), but there are many fine uprights that are available with sostenuto pedals instead.

Myth #4: Upright Pianos Have a Lighter Touch than Grand Pianos

We hear this one a lot - sometimes from piano lesson teachers, other times from people who have owned a grand piano at some point in the past or know someone who has. A common phrase is, "An upright piano is okay to start with but to really build your finger strength, you need to get on a grand piano."

It is true that larger grand pianos usually have a slightly heavier touch. The reason for this is that larger grand pianos will tend to have larger hammers because they are striking longer strings.

But for a smaller grand piano where there isn’t the need to have a hammer that's any larger than what you get on an upright piano, there's actually no technical reason why a manufacturer would choose to have a grand piano with a heavier feel than an upright piano of a similar size in terms of string length or soundboard size.

If there is a difference, there's a very good chance that it’s because the grand piano has been under-regulated or under-lubricated, and the less expensive the piano, usually the less time is spent lubricating and regulating the action at the factory level.

If you've got a $10,000 upright piano, and a $10,000 grand piano, that upright piano is probably going to feel lighter because it’s received more lubrication and regulation. Pay a technician to regulate the action of that $10,000 grand and suddenly the weighting difference disappears.

 

Myth #5: Upright Pianos Have No Bass

This myth is false on its face and largely relates to the first myth about grand pianos being louder versus upright pianos being softer.

There's a huge overlap in bass string length and soundboard size between upright pianos and grands, and since the bass tone is largely (though not exclusively) a function of the length of the string and soundboard shaping, there's no reason why you can’t have a 52” upright piano producing about the same bass response and lush overtones as a grand piano up to about 6’ in length.

Anything beyond that size, and of course a larger grand piano is going to have longer bass strings and a larger soundboard, equaling a more powerful bass presence.

A 9’ foot Steinway D certainly has a better presence than any upright piano, and just about any grand piano will have a better bass than a spinet upright, but there are many vertical pianos that will outgun many baby grand pianos and other smaller grands in terms of bass response.

 

Myth #6: Grand Pianos Offer More Control than Uprights

This is probably the myth that’s the closest to being true out of the six on our list. Relating back to the technical differences we covered regarding the action mechanisms, grand pianos do offer a higher degree of control than uprights, assuming we’re talking about two instruments of the same quality.

As we mentioned, this is due in large part to gravity assisting in getting the hammer back into the rest position on grand pianos. The other reason grand pianos tend to offer more control is due to having longer key sticks, which means you’re working with a longer lever which in turn delivers the player greater control.

But again, there are going to be plenty of instances where a high-quality upright is going to offer superior control to a lower-quality small grand, so some nuance is required here.

To sum up, if we’re comparing apples to apples, then yes, a grand piano will offer superior control to a similar quality upright piano, especially in the hands of a professional pianist, and there’s no upright piano that matches the control of a good quality 9’ concert grand piano.

 

Closing Thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed this article covering the 6 most common myths we run into regarding the differences between upright and grand pianos.

We find some combination of these myths comes up constantly among folks shopping for a new upright, new grand or even a used piano of either persuasion, both among folks looking for a piano for their living room, and even committees shopping for a space somewhere short of the concert hall.

Thanks for reading!

The post Upright vs Grand Pianos | Which is Better for You? | Common Misconceptions & Myths first appeared on Merriam Pianos

2359 Bristol Cir #200, Oakville, ON L6H 6P8

merriammusic.com

(905) 829-2020

Piano Buying Tips: 10 Common Mistakes People Make When Buying A Piano

Piano Buying Tips - 10 Mistakes to Look Out For

Purchasing a first piano can be fairly intimidating, especially if you don’t already have a lot of experience with pianos.

Fortunately, here at Merriam Pianos, we’ve seen the piano purchasing process through with literally thousands of customers since our inception, from beginners to concert-level piano players, so we can safely say we know a thing or two about what people ought to look for when buying a piano.

Today, we’re going to tackle the 10 mistakes shoppers often make when buying a piano. We feel this list should be helpful to anybody who's embarking on the process of selecting an instrument for their home, school, church, studio or wherever it may be.

Avoiding these common mistakes will go a very long way in ensuring your long-term satisfaction with the instrument you end up choosing.

Mistake #1: Used is Better Value than New

The very first mistake is a common assumption many people make, which is that a used piano is automatically a better value than a new piano.

While there are cases where this is true, most of the time the overall marketplace has already factored in the value a buyer is getting for used versus new - as long as you understand the street price versus the list price of a new piano that you’re looking at, you'll simply be getting what you pay for.

For example, a used Yamaha U1 in a certain age category has a particular market price point that’s been largely set due to the fact that any used piano performs at a certain level markedly lower than a new counterpart.

If a new 48-inch Japanese piano is worth $9,000 to $10,000, the cost of a used model directly dovetails with this and will be anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 depending on age and condition.

The main reason for this is that all pianos degrade, depreciate and wear out over time, without exception.

There is no such thing as a 20-year-old piano that is as good as a brand-new piano, with the exception of those rare barn finds where someone unearths a 20-year-old instrument that was never played. Obviously, something like this would be a killer deal, if you could find one.

In most cases, a used piano has received hundreds and even sometimes thousands of hours of use. The hammers are harder and have started to wear down, plus there's more play in the hammer action, meaning it’s going to be looser and less responsive.

The soundboard will have already received decades of down-bearing tension, which affects the soundboard crown, which in turn affects the dynamic potential of the sound.

Tuning stability may also be sub-optimal due to a variety of reasons, such as the humidity of the environment in which the piano is stored. The piano technician/tuner bills can add up quickly.

Finally, the aesthetic condition of a used piano is pretty much always going to be inferior to a new piano unless the instrument has been refinished.

However, this can be costly and would be reflected in the price. For most people, when they invest several thousand dollars into an instrument, they rightfully want it to look good.

All of that put together is to say this: when it comes to used versus new pianos, you get what you pay for.

New pianos are more expensive due to their superior musical potential, aesthetics, durability and warranty coverage. Used pianos cost less, and in the case of many Spinet pianos are available for free, for a reason.

 

Mistake #2: Buying Based on a “Discount”

This is another one we see all the time - the allure of a big percentage discount from the list price set by the manufacturer. This is an old sales technique that stretches across many industries, automobiles being the most common.

The piano industry is certainly not immune from this, and there's been a lot of good ink spilt on this subject over the years - Piano industry expert Larry Fine for example has opined on this with a great level of detail in several of his highly credible publications.

Here’s what this mistake comes down to; MSRP stands for manufacturer-suggested retail price, and is 100% set by the manufacturer without measure against any type of objective standard.

In the marketplace, there seems to be an inverse relationship between a piano's reputation regarding quality and how high or low the MSRP is.

The better the piano, and the more established the reputation of that instrument, the closer MSRP is likely to be to the actual legitimate street market price of that instrument, to the point where some instruments literally have no daylight between MSRP and what people are actually paying for these pianos.

For many decades, you could say that Steinway & Sons was the only manufacturer who achieved this, but these days there are a number of other manufacturers marketplace who have achieved this as well.

Estonia for example has set their MSRP very close to what the market actually pays for their good high-quality pianos, meaning they haven’t artificially inflated the MSRP to a point where dealers have an abundance of room to discount.

On the flip side of the equation, situations exist where lesser-known and lower-quality brands often dramatically inflate the MSRP of their pianos to achieve two things; for one, they're looking to achieve the perception of equivalence with much more established brands, by listing a high MSRP to artificially inflate the value.

Secondly, this gives less experienced and less established dealers a sales tool that can be effective at generating excitement, i.e. a large, time-limited discount.

This is a common tactic with lesser-known Chinese and Indonesian lines. Very rarely do you see this approach occurring with either North American, European or good-quality Asian-built pianos.

The market pricing is so well-established that people's impression or need for a sense of credible pricing on these instruments handcuffs the manufacturers in a way that is advantageous for consumers.

So, don't be allured by a super high discount based on MSRP from a slick salesperson because there's a very good chance that if you're getting something like 50% off the list price, this MSRP was artificially inflated in the first place.

 

Mistake #3: Underestimating a Piano’s Volume

Do not underestimate how loud a piano is!

We can’t tell you how many times every single year we get a call from a customer who was thrilled about their piano purchase only to receive delivery and a couple of weeks later be begging for some type of a solution due to the sheer power and volume a piano generates, especially when you dig into the key action and have the sustain pedal engaged.

Pianos are loud. They were built to be loud, and there’s no way around this.

Don't underestimate this and instead, actively plan for it. If you're in a small space or if you've got neighbours, carefully consider the size of the piano because size has a direct relationship to the volume that it produces.

You can also consider other mitigating strategies such as installing a silent system or going with a top-tier hybrid piano that’s actually able to produce a musical experience on par with a fully acoustic piano.

Mistake #4: Not Measuring Piano Size Correctly

This one might seem obvious, but just as often as we have people calling and looking for strategies to mitigate volume they weren't expecting, we get even more calls about this one - the piano won't fit. Measure!

This comes up a lot when we're talking about getting pianos into or out of basements and onto second floors.

Pianos are large and heavy so you need more than a centimetre of clearance to safely move one up and downstairs.

If you have measured at the music store and it's literally going to be within an inch, there's a very good chance that you are going to be taking on damage to the instrument itself or to the walls of your home.

This should be an expectation, and it is not a reflection on the moving company that you have selected if a problem occurs.

The vast majority of piano movers really care about the work they do, and often times issues arise simply due to folks having selected a piano too big for its desired end location.

 

Mistake #5: Allowing For Acclimatization

This next one has less to do with a shopping mistake and more to do with a misconception right at the same time as a shopping purchase.

Acoustic pianos, not so much digital pianos, need to acclimatize. There is a huge amount of tension on an acoustic piano, and the primary materials, wood and iron, are prone to shrinking and swelling with changes in humidity and temperature.

The humidity and temperature in a warehouse will be different than the humidity and temperature in a piano showroom, which in turn will be different from your home.

When the piano finally arrives in your home for the first time, there will be a period where the instrument goes through some changes while settling into the new environment.

This process often results in piano keys that are slightly sticky or at least a little stiffer than you might expect them to be. You may also find some ringing on certain strings, or a damper that isn't quite damping perfectly.

These are all signs of an instrument that is generally acclimatizing.

It's certainly a good idea to notify your dealer if these things occur shortly after delivery, but your first reflex should not be to think that you have bought a lemon as this is very common. and stretches across all piano brands and types of pianos.

If the humidity continues to be quite dynamic in your home, you can expect a lot of these behaviours to continue.

Creating a humidity environment that is stable can go a long way in preventing these issues from occurring, but even if they do, there’s no need to panic. Just keep in touch with your dealer and they can get the issues remedied.

 

Mistake #6: Not Considering The Mechanical Sounds Of A Silent System

This is one that wouldn't have needed mentioning even 10 years ago, but the increasing popularity of silent pianos has changed this.

And it makes perfect sense - people want to be able to enjoy all of the sound quality of an acoustic piano without making enemies of their friends, family, and neighbours.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that we're seeing so many silent systems installed on acoustic pianos since the technology has really evolved in the last few years.

But here is what you need to keep in mind; the mechanical sound of a piano's action is anything but silent.

While the 80 decibels of tone that the piano produces due to the hammer striking the strings is eliminated, the marked mechanical noise that the action itself produces can’t be done away with.

Plus, most silent systems still have the hammer striking some type of bar which also produces noise.

With this in mind, we would encourage anyone considering a silent system to make sure you play one in a piano store and pay attention to the mechanical noise that isn’t done away with by the silent system.

 

Mistake #7: Buying Based On A Country's "Sound"

Often times we have customers visit one of our showrooms and the conversation starts something like this "I hate Japanese pianos, they're too tinny and the American sound is just a little too brash for me. I really prefer the high-quality European piano sound."

The problem here is that countries don't really have sounds. There is as much variety in the German piano-making industry as there is in the Japanese piano-making industry for example. Instead, countries have general quality standards that can translate to musical perceptions.

When you are competing in a marketplace where your consumer is accustomed to a particular standard of quality, you will generally find that all manufacturers will rise to the occasion. Otherwise, they simply won’t be able to compete.

Europe is steeped in musical culture, and as such the standards that the buying community apply to the piano manufacturing business are higher than buying audiences where the level of musical fluency isn't as well-established over multiple generations.

As such, German pianos generally are the best made, and the better made a piano is, the cleaner the sound will be.

Under that umbrella though, there’s a huge variety of tonal colours and palettes that are possible.

As a result, there are both light and dark pianos from Germany, as well as super colourful pianos and pianos with a very simple tonal profile.

The main thing they have in common is excellent craftsmanship resulting in cleanness of tone.

In terms of pianos from the United States, while there still are 3 US-based piano manufacturers, the classic American sound really just means the Steinway sound, as opposed to the Baldwin or Mason & Hamlin sound.

Japanese pianos are either going to be from Kawai or Yamaha, and these two manufacturers offer pianos that sound widely different from one another. To say there is a Japanese sound isn’t really accurate.

To summarize, while countries have generally consistent quality levels, the idea that all pianos from one country sound the same is not accurate.

 

Mistake #8: Assuming All Grands Are Better Than Uprights

Here’s another one that comes up all the time - shoppers assuming that baby grand pianos are always superior to upright pianos.

The fact is, grand pianos are not automatically better than upright pianos, plain and simple.

In fact, there are many instances where the quality of the materials and the execution of design on an upright piano will produce a more preferable musical experience than a grand piano of the same price.

This is a general guideline, but we have often found that if you’re seeking a grand piano with exactly the same fit and finish, material quality and design sophistication, you need to approximately double your budget from what a comparable upright piano would cost.

For example, if you were looking at a $20,000 upright piano, you would have to jump to approximately the $40,000 or $50,000 price range to get a grand piano that would be of equal overall quality.

Now, the aesthetics of a grand piano are unbeatable in a living room and the physics of the action come with their own benefits that may mean an otherwise lesser quality grand piano will still be a better piano for you, especially if you’re serious about advancing through piano lessons.

But don't assume that simply choosing a grand over an upright, in all cases, is always going to produce a superior musical experience.

 

Mistake #9: Not Considering Uprights Under 48 Inches

This one is a classic. Many people think they shouldn’t entertain an upright piano under 48” in height if they’re going to be doing the serious playing, likely due to something they heard from their piano teacher.

This idea likely came from the fact that the Yamaha U1 is 48” in height and is by the far the best-selling upright piano in North America over the last few decades. In Germany, the most common upright piano size is about 47” in height, so this belief simply doesn’t exist in the mind of consumers there.

The 48” mark is in reality arbitrary. If you automatically draw this line in the sand, you’re cutting yourself off from some fantastic options that come in under this mark.

The fact is, there are many excellent upright pianos available as small as 43”, so we would recommend considering uprights of all sizes.

 

Mistake #10: Shopping Dynamic

The very last item on our list is a little bit touchy, but we’ve seen this derail the shopping process many times and that is having convoluted decision-making dynamic.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with different family members or a buying group making the final decision of which piano to go with, and having a strong degree of feedback will help in narrowing things down.

But once things have been narrowed down is where having multiple decision-makers can be quite problematic. Choosing a piano after you've made sure that you're in the right category and working with the right budget is extremely personal.

Somebody needs to be designated to take the lead at the very last stage and be the one to musically crown the winner. We’ve seen the entire process gets entirely derailed when there are too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.

It’s highly recommended that the person whose primarily going to be playing the instrument have the final say. After all, they’re the ones who will be spending countless hours in front of the piano when all is said and done.

Closing Thoughts

We hope you’ve found this article helpful. As we said in the intro, we at Merriam Pianos have helped thousands of families and individuals choose a piano over the years here at Merriam Pianos, and the above-listed 10 mistakes are extremely common.

If you’re able to avoid the mistakes we’ve listed, the odds greatly increase that you’ll end up with the right piano for you, whether you’re getting ready to learn piano for the first time, or highly experienced pianists and everything in between.

Thank you for reading our piano buying tips and happy shopping!

The post Piano Buying Tips: 10 Common Mistakes People Make When Buying A Piano first appeared on Merriam Pianos

2359 Bristol Cir #200, Oakville, ON L6H 6P8

merriammusic.com

(905) 829-2020