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Hi
If you were given the choice to record a solo piano album of "slow soundtrack" music on a full size concert grand or a baby grand, what would you choose ?
Last edited by musicmad; 02/05/13 08:07 AM.
Without music life would be a mistake.
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It depends on the condition of both pianos. If they are both in top condition, I'd choose the concert grand most likely just for the fact that the bass notes will be much clearer and the feel of the concert would probably be more to my liking. Chances are the concert would also have better dynamic control. The style of music I'm playing doesn't really come into consideration.
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As Morodiene says, if the two pianos are in equally good condition, there is no question that the concert grand is the better choice.
Regards,
BruceD
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For recording, the room, the microphones, and the microphone placement are as important as everything else.
That being said, unless I was going for a specific effect, the longer the better! For one thing, the piano will be able to be tuned with fewer compromises.
Robert Swirsky
Thrill Science, Inc.
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BTW (and I'm sure the people doing the other replies knew this too), there's a lot of room between "concert grand" and "baby grand." And also, even after 200 years with pianos, including probably having owned a "baby grand" or two  I don't know what's the dividing line between baby grand and grand, even before we get to "concert grand." I consider them all simply "grands," just in all kinds of different sizes. We have a Steinway B and a Kawai GE20 which is 5'1". To me they're both simply "grands." Anyway  ....I would hope to use a piano that's at least about the size of a Steinway B (6'10.5"). Depending on the size of the space it might even be preferable to larger grands. In a large enough space I'd always prefer a "concert grand" but I'd never feel terribly deprived with a B or larger. More about "baby grand": There are actually a lot of people who think it means exactly the same thing as what I'm calling a "grand" (really!) -- i.e. any piano with that rounded shape and with a lid that goes up diagonally like that, even a concert grand. It comes from having been used to people having mainly just uprights in their homes, and the few people who had grands having mostly just smaller ones and calling them "baby grands," so it came to be understood as any piano like that. They barely notice the word "baby"; it's just part of the name.
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Perhaps among the uninitiated "baby grand" is just part of the name, and I, too, have heard it used to apply to pianos considerably larger than "baby", but I think that that term drops as soon as you get to those who know something about grand pianos. According to Larry Fine :
"Grands less than 5' long are the musical equivalent of spinets and consoles; that is, they are musically compromised and are mainly sold as pieces of furniture. Grands between about 5' and 5-1/2' are very popular. Although slightly compromised, they can reasonably serve both musical and furniture functions and are available in many furniture styles. (By the way, professionals prefer the term small grand to baby grand. Although there is no exact definition, a small grand is generally one less than 5-1/2' long.) Above 5-1/2', pianos rapidly improve becoming professional quality at about 6'. Pianos intended for the home or serious professional top out at about 7' or 7-1/2'. These sizes may also satisfy the needs of smaller concert venues. Larger venues require concert grands, usually about 9' long."
Other standard designations that I often come across :
Baby Grands - up to 5-1/2 feet
Medium or Parlor Grands 5-1/2 feet to 6-1/2 feet
Semi-concert Grands 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 feet
Concert Grands - 9 feet
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BruceD
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Good post, and I think those groupings at the end are a lot better than just baby grand and grand (or, as in this thread, baby grand and concert grand). Best of all is just saying grand and specifying the size; otherwise we're never sure exactly what someone is talking about, even if we think we are. When someone says baby grand I figure it probably means less than about 6'3 but it absolutely can mean anything up to that, and sometimes larger. And heck, on this thread, it was used for anything less than 9'!
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Musicmad: Don't worry about this terminology stuff -- lots of people say baby grand. It's just a little project of mine. Although....it might be helpful if you want to say what are the actual sizes of the grands you're talking about. I think people are assuming the "concert grand" is 9'. We don't really know what size of other piano you mean but I think people are assuming it's in the low or mid 5's.
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When someone says baby grand I figure it probably means less than about 6'3... My guess is that to most people, "baby grand" implies significantly smaller than 6'3. Like in the 5' range max, as Bruce indicated. -J
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My guess is that to most people, "baby grand" implies significantly smaller than 6'3. Like in the 5' range max, as Bruce indicated. To most people here it certainly means that, and among fairly serious pianists it does (although many probably are uncomfortable with the term at all). Otherwise, IMO all we can be sure of 'with a reasonable degree of certainty' is up to about 6'3.
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I have seen real estate ads for luxury residences often showing what looks like a 7-footer in an oversize living room with the comment : "Look! There's even room for your baby grand!"
As I said : among the uninitiated ....
But, back to what the OP was contemplating ....
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Most people (in my experience) attach "baby" next to grand for almost any piano. Several times I've been told what a nice baby grand I have although my piano in a 7' Mason Hamlin.
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BTW (and I'm sure the people doing the other replies knew this too), there's a lot of room between "concert grand" and "baby grand." And also, even after 200 years with pianos, including probably having owned a "baby grand" or two I don't know what's the dividing line between baby grand and grand, even before we get to "concert grand." I consider them all simply "grands," just in all kinds of different sizes. We have a Steinway B and a Kawai GE20 which is 5'1". To me they're both simply "grands." Anyway ....I would hope to use a piano that's at least about the size of a Steinway B (6'10.5"). Depending on the size of the space it might even be preferable to larger grands. In a large enough space I'd always prefer a "concert grand" but I'd never feel terribly deprived with a B or larger. More about "baby grand": There are actually a lot of people who think it means exactly the same thing as what I'm calling a "grand" (really!) -- i.e. any piano with that rounded shape and with a lid that goes up diagonally like that, even a concert grand. It comes from having been used to people having mainly just uprights in their homes, and the few people who had grands having mostly just smaller ones and calling them "baby grands," so it came to be understood as any piano like that. They barely notice the word "baby"; it's just part of the name. True, I call my 9' Petrof my "big baby"  .
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I'd be quite happy with a baby Bösendorfer Imperial 290. I'd even prefer this little baby to a full-sized Steinway D concert grand......
If music be the food of love, play on!
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I'd be quite happy with a baby Bosendorfer Imperial 290. I'd even prefer this little baby to a full-sized Steinway D concert grand...... For anyone who doesn't know: The Bosendorfer is about 100 feet long. (9'6"....or is it 9'8"? I always thought 9'6 but I just did the math and it comes out 9'8!)
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(9'6"....or is it 9'8"? I always thought 9'6 but I just did the math and it comes out 9'8!)
You may have miscalculated: 290 cm / 2.54 in/cm = 114.17 in 114.17 in / 12 in/ft = 9.51 ft = darn close to 9'6".
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You may have miscalculated.... I DID!! I often rounded off the factor from 2.54 to 2.5 for quick calculations -- and somewhere along the line I just FORGOT that's it's not exactly just 2.5! (Thank you!) 
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Well, the Bosendorfer Imperial is the model 290 which means 290cm. Using a precise conversion calculator : 290 cm = 9.1548 feet or 114.1473 inches.
Regards,
BruceD
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But is “bigger†better? ...
all this elevated chat about Grands has me groping for my six-shooter ... who to pot first?
But heck ... those damn 230cm things take up so much space ... and when not in use, the deserted creepy home settings have the echo of a graveyard ... why not employ a standby undertaker? ... just in case someone develops apoplexy revving up the final run of a dreaded Chopin Etude.
I’m happy with my Grotrian Steinweg upright ... no need to mess around with the settled furniture ... all neat and tidy ... or take out a 2nd bond to house the monster.
Why don’t you chaps save the cash and go small ...
you could save enough loot to visit the Greek Isles in July.
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But is “bigger†better? ...
all this elevated chat about Grands has me groping for my six-shooter ... who to pot first?
But heck ... those damn 230cm things take up so much space ... and when not in use, the deserted creepy home settings have the echo of a graveyard ... why not employ a standby undertaker? ... just in case someone develops apoplexy revving up the final run of a dreaded Chopin Etude.
I’m happy with my Grotrian Steinweg upright ... no need to mess around with the settled furniture ... all neat and tidy ... or take out a 2nd bond to house the monster.
Why don’t you chaps save the cash and go small ...
you could save enough loot to visit the Greek Isles in July. You are by far the most... interesting poster I've seen here.
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