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Joined: Sep 2003
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Somewhat off-topic - I bought a C6 a few months ago and one of the most popular questions I get is "what kind of piano is it? A baby grand? A full grand? A concert grand?" I'm never sure what to tell them - the people that ask generally are the ones that know nothing at all about pianos. If my history is accurate, the term "Baby Grand" was first used to describe a 5' grand introduced by Weber in 1900. Personally, I don't use the term but if I did I would apply it to pianos 5' (or shorter). What you have is a grand piano that is ___ feet/inches or ___ cm long. ddf
Delwin D Fandrich Piano Research, Design & Manufacturing Consultant ddfandrich@gmail.com (To contact me privately please use this e-mail address.)
Stupidity is a rare condition, ignorance is a common choice. --Anon
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Entheo I'm not really that surprised. I would speculate that the top reasons for a piano are a) lessons for little Brayden and Brianna (who will likely abandon them by the time they're 12) and b) because a piano [shaped thing] would look so lovely in this room. Not many people play, and even fewer care enough to buy a good instrument and even fewer of those can actually afford it. And the ones that ARE really good probably have access to university pianos, or concert hall pianos, or any number of pianos that keep them from needing a good instrument at home. Or people who actually do play but live in 900 sq. ft. condominiums or 1400 sq. ft. houses with three bedrooms, two baths and Brayden and Brianna and who still would like a grand piano. This cynical view of the performance of short pianos--which I fully shared 20 years ago--no longer holds. Several makers of very short pianos are working hard to improve them and that work is paying off in significantly improved musical performance. ddf
Delwin D Fandrich Piano Research, Design & Manufacturing Consultant ddfandrich@gmail.com (To contact me privately please use this e-mail address.)
Stupidity is a rare condition, ignorance is a common choice. --Anon
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I don't know dudes. A piano with nine feet???? If it didn't like the way you played very well, it would have 9 feet to run away with!!!! And quickly at that!!
Jerry Groot RPT Piano Technicians Guild Grand Rapids, Michigan www.grootpiano.comWe love to play BF2.
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If my history is accurate, the term "Baby Grand" was first used to describe a 5' grand introduced by Weber in 1900.
Personally, I don't use the term but if I did I would apply it to pianos 5' (or shorter). What you have is a grand piano that is ___ feet/inches or ___ cm long. Leaving Orchestra Hall in Chicago, having just heard a Brahms piano concerto, a woman next to me in the lobby exclaimed; "Wasn't that a beautiful baby grand?"
Marty in Minnesota
It's much easier to bash a Steinway than it is to play one.
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I don't know dudes. A piano with nine feet???? Haven't you heard of the new Pediola? It's made by Footzioli.
Marty in Minnesota
It's much easier to bash a Steinway than it is to play one.
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Anne'sson El Paso, TX
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Yes, I have. It leaves foot prints in the sand and it's running way making its grand, 9 foot sprints.
Jerry Groot RPT Piano Technicians Guild Grand Rapids, Michigan www.grootpiano.comWe love to play BF2.
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Entheo I'm not really that surprised. I would speculate that the top reasons for a piano are a) lessons for little Brayden and Brianna (who will likely abandon them by the time they're 12) and b) because a piano [shaped thing] would look so lovely in this room. Not many people play, and even fewer care enough to buy a good instrument and even fewer of those can actually afford it. And the ones that ARE really good probably have access to university pianos, or concert hall pianos, or any number of pianos that keep them from needing a good instrument at home. Or people who actually do play but live in 900 sq. ft. condominiums or 1400 sq. ft. houses with three bedrooms, two baths and Brayden and Brianna and who still would like a grand piano. This cynical view of the performance of short pianos--which I fully shared 20 years ago--no longer holds. Several makers of very short pianos are working hard to improve them and that work is paying off in significantly improved musical performance.ddf does this mean that second hand baby grands at the moment are not viable option if you want a quality instrument? only buy new if you want a baby grand. but a new baby grand would cost about the same as a used non-baby grand.
Casio Privia PX-150
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Del I didn't mean to imply that short pianos necessarily sound bad. I nearly bought a 5'8 Knabe and played an SK-1 that just blew me away. What I meant was that a lot of pianos appear to be bought as status symbols more that as instruments. Kind of like pool tables. I always wanted a pool table and was thrilled to find that the house I'm in now was willing to leave it. I played it for about a month and now it sits collecting dust. When I move I'll leave it for the next guy. I've seen houses for sale around me that seem to have the same thing going on with their pianos. If they are played at all it is by the player system installed on it... There certainly are people that love to play, but I don't think they're the majority of the market. I am not a piano retailer though so I may just be projecting my own ignorance.
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This cynical view of the performance of short pianos--which I fully shared 20 years ago--no longer holds. Several makers of very short pianos are working hard to improve them and that work is paying off in significantly improved musical performance. does this mean that second hand baby grands at the moment are not viable option if you want a quality instrument? only buy new if you want a baby grand. but a new baby grand would cost about the same as a used non-baby grand. Well, as I say, 20 years ago I'd have whole-heartedly agreed. But within the past five years or so several piano makers have upgraded their small grand piano lines. None of these have the low bass performance of longer pianos but neither are they tubby, unmusical atrocities of the bad old days. As far as used instruments are concerned, what you see (or hear) is what you get. Look and listen. Don't accept junk sound no matter the size or age of the piano. Listen for clarity in the low bass, musically transparent bass-tenor breaks, dynamic tenors and treble sections that are bright without being harsh. ddf
Delwin D Fandrich Piano Research, Design & Manufacturing Consultant ddfandrich@gmail.com (To contact me privately please use this e-mail address.)
Stupidity is a rare condition, ignorance is a common choice. --Anon
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Del I didn't mean to imply that short pianos necessarily sound bad. I nearly bought a 5'8 Knabe and played an SK-1 that just blew me away. What I meant was that a lot of pianos appear to be bought as status symbols more that as instruments. Kind of like pool tables. I always wanted a pool table and was thrilled to find that the house I'm in now was willing to leave it. I played it for about a month and now it sits collecting dust. When I move I'll leave it for the next guy. I've seen houses for sale around me that seem to have the same thing going on with their pianos. If they are played at all it is by the player system installed on it... There certainly are people that love to play, but I don't think they're the majority of the market. I am not a piano retailer though so I may just be projecting my own ignorance. I understand. It is interesting to work in the industry just now. Piano sound is actually improving even in the very short grands on the market. The rules of thumb we went by 20 years ago no longer hold. ddf
Delwin D Fandrich Piano Research, Design & Manufacturing Consultant ddfandrich@gmail.com (To contact me privately please use this e-mail address.)
Stupidity is a rare condition, ignorance is a common choice. --Anon
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But within the past five years or so several piano makers have upgraded their small grand piano lines. None of these have the low bass performance of longer pianos but neither are they tubby, unmusical atrocities of the bad old days.
Are you able to give us examples of a few specific models? I ask because I played recently on a couple of new models (late 2012) of around 5ft, and their bass was just as tubby and indeterminate in pitch, lacking almost any discernable fundamentals, as a 20-year-old baby grand I played elsewhere while on holiday recently.
If music be the food of love, play on!
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Check out the new Young Chang 4'11" that Del designed (and is too modest to mention out front). Not only does the bass have clarity, but the transition to the treble bridge is clean.
--Cy--
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Friends:
On the subject of 9ft. pianos for use at home or studio, it never ceases to amaze me that there are a significant number of Ds in Manhattan apartments and town houses. Bs I could understand and/or expect - but Ds?
It's funny that virtually none that I've played/heard seem to be too much for their respective spaces, yet my own 194cm Petrof (kept completely closed) can sometimes be a bit uncomfortable at anything above mezzo-forte in our little, heavily carpeted flat.
Karl Watson, Staten Island, NY
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I've been happily using mine in two successive homes since 1991. Great fun all day every day.
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Check out the new Young Chang 4'11" that Del designed (and is too modest to mention out front). Not only does the bass have clarity, but the transition to the treble bridge is clean.
--Cy-- Has he designed a 9 ft? If he can do that well in 4-11, it would be interesting to hear what he could do with more room and a bigger budget.
-- J.S. Knabe Grand # 10927 Yamaha CP33 Kawai FS690
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Check out the new Young Chang 4'11" that Del designed (and is too modest to mention out front). Not only does the bass have clarity, but the transition to the treble bridge is clean.
--Cy-- Has he designed a 9 ft? Yes.
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Dear beethoven986:
Can you tell us what or which exactly is the 9ft. designed by Del. I would LOVE to try one. If it's anything like the Chas. Walter 6'4", it's sure to be superb.
Karl Watson, Staten Island
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
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