More Than Just A Piano Store

When it comes to shopping around for a new piano, it is important to know and recognize the different types of pianos. These different types allow you to adjust where you place the pianos in the house, the overall size of the piano and what the overall musical tone is from the instrument. So, before you go out shopping, it is essential to know the different types of pianos in order to determine what piano is going to work best for your house.

There are two main kinds of pianos, in which the different pianos are split into smaller subcategories. These two main categories are a vertical piano and a horizontal piano. A vertical piano has most of the internal strings working in a north-south direction, allowing it to be smaller and is generally better for when less room is available. A horizontal piano is one that is longer in shape and the strings run in a east-west direction.

Vertical pianos are then broken down into four subcategories: spinet, console, studio and upright. A spinet piano is the smallest, with the height cutting off at around 38 inches (just over three feet). This is for someone with very limited space. However, generally the more room a piano's internal strings have to vibrate, the more brilliant the tone, which is why the large pianos are usually more desirable. 

Console pianos are slightly taller with a height of up to 43 inches, although the width is the same (the width is the same with all upright pianos). A studio piano is common in music schools and can reach 48 inches (four feet tall), while the full upright piano can reach 60 inches in height. 

Horizontal pianos are known as grand pianos and have the most responsive keys and musical tones. The smallest option is the petite grand. It has a width of about four feet ten inches. Baby grand is the next size up and can have a width of five feet, 11 inches. A medium grand piano is larger than most baby grands, although almost all have a size of five feet, seven inches (which is smaller than a few baby grand models). The Parlor Grand can have a size of nearly six feet and is also called a living room grand. Ballroom grand pianos can be seven feet long and the concert grand is nine feet.