Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Grand piano position in your room?

i would say go for position number 2 (piano door opening to the southwest) because I think the sound would be projected better back to you after bouncing off the walls. but it's entirely your choice.

Bear in mind that you don't want any sunlight coming through the window shining directly on the piano.

My own piano is in a corner of the room, with the straight side along one wall, but angled a bit so that the left end of the keyboard is close to the wall, while the rear is about 18 inches away from the wall. I play with my back to the other wall; the space between the keyboard and the wall is about 2 feet at the right and about 3 feet at the left. I have a light behind me on a little shelf in the corner.

I find this position very satisfactory. The piano is sufficiently angled for there to be no sound problems; the location looks very pleasing visually; I feel "cosy" in the corner; I look out onto the room; and it maximises the remaining space in the room.

Remember, whatever you decide, you can always move your piano again and again and again. You're not entombing this piano for eternity, you're just placing it in a room. Try it for a few weeks, if you're not happy (or if your better half is not happy), call the store and have it moved again.

From the drawing you gave a few posts earlier, I would have chosen the first of the two, but that's just me.

If you're worried about direct sunlight, buy a curtain or use the tinted plastic that stores use to help block out sunlight.

I think I might place the long end of the piano along the longest (19') wall, angled slightly (or not) with the keybed toward the window. I think it gives you the most of the rest of your room - for seating, shelves, other players, etc. as others have described, and I think I'd enjoy having the natural light over my shoulder. I agree that a rug and some upholstered furniture and/or curtains might be good depending on how things sound once you get it in the room.

Is it coming today?

I would want the keyboard to welcome me as I entered the room.

The position that my grand is in was suggested by a dealer, and it is to save space in the room (11/12 ish)

Length of the piano is against the left wall with keyboard at the bottom of your pic. Quilt (tapestry) on a wall. Wool rug on the floor. Drapes at the windows. All to help with sound. Chairs at angles opposite the piano. (then I have other furniture that you have not mentioned needing but they too help with sound)

Can't wait to see pics!

I would also suggest to place it with the straight side along the 11.5' wall (by the window).

Windows don't have to be an issue, especially with poly based finishes like your piano, and can be dealt with in several ways.

Usually, when someone is buying a large high quality piano to be placed in a small room and mentions the possibility of recording on it, the instrument is important enough for them to make some minor necessary adjustments such as preventing direct sunlight from hitting the piano.
I assume this is the case here as well.

You may want to angle the piano a bit for aesthetic reasons, but I wouldn't do it by more than 10 or 15 degrees in order to save space in an already smaller room. This will be my preferred positioning and room, and it is also a room which should be easier to treat acoustically if needed.


If you still decide to place the piano in the original space by the kitchen, the only placement I would consider would be with the straight side along the half wall of the kitchen and parallel to it. If indeed you have 12' over there it should work.

According to the dimensions you provide for the rooms you should be able to fit the piano easily, although in the pictures both spaces look smaller...but if the dimensions are correct you should be able to make it work.

For some reason, when I'm being photographed the camera adds 20 pounds to my weight and a few good inches to my waist...I got to find a camera like yours...

Ori: I've curious why you wouldn't choose the long wall, with the window to the player's back.

Interesting that there is so much debate about the exact placement of the piano in a room. My teacher, (a very talented concert pianist whose time I hardly deserve, even though I pay him handsomely for it) has his concert grand just shoved in a dining room area of his house with a boatload of music books scattered all over the top of the piano. He couldn't care less about the positioning as long as he can find the keyboard and the pedals. While on the other hand, I spent a couple days pondering the exact placement of my piano, and had three big brutes moving it an inch this way, and inch that way, no... angle it a bit more...

I think that if it's going to be in the "piano room" instead of the living area, the floor plan looks like you will be entering the room on the right, so you would want the lid to open toward the door, so the keys are going to need to be facing the door as well, and the piano should angle a bit so that the tail isn't sticking to the wall, but also is not unduly crowding the walk space along the right wall to the window. Maybe I'm just being practical, but that's the only placement that I can see that makes sense.

First off I would like to thank everyone, you all have been so helpful. I delayed the delivery date an extra day so I could get a few more opions. I now have a plan of attack thanks to you guys and will post some pictures asap. Thanks

There is definitely enough space to place the piano on the 19' wall, but...at its wider part the instrument is about 5'.

Assuming 6" placement from the wall, the curved side would be only 6' from the opposing wall.
This is not ideal both in terms of looks and acoustics.
It is also not ideal in terms of the space use in the room.


Also, in this placement, if we left 3' between the wall and the piano in the keyboard side (for the bench) the tail of the instrument will be just 5' or so from the entry area where the space opens up, and in direct line to the entry door.
This is the most used and high traffic area of the room.

On the other hand, the corner between the 11.5' wall and the 16' wall is likely to be the least used space in the room.
It leads nowhere, has no doors nearby and it is ideal to have the wider part of the piano in that area.

Acoustically, in this positioning, the piano will open up to the length of the room leaving between 10' and 15' of space from the instrument and the closest opposing wall which is definitely better than in a positioning that allows only 5'-8' from the opposing wall.

Visually, a person who enters the room will see the more graceful, curved side of the piano first ( and again, from about 15' of distance).

If the piano is angled at a 15% of so, with the keys a little in the direction of the room, some of the keyboard may be seen as well once the person passes through the entry area and moves into the room.


So for me...it is a no brainer and the 11.5' wall is the best positioning by far.



Please note though that the piano that is drawn in the room diagram is fantastically huge (assuming the dimensions are correct).

It looks like it is about 11' long with a wide part that is almost 6' in width and spans over 8' of the gigantic instrument's length.

Now if this piano could fit in, a little 7.5' Bechstein will be hardly noticeable...