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We know that American piano sound is different, but why? What are the reasons behind?

There are things that American can not do, for ex: watches like Suisse, cognac like French... and vice versa, they can not do Apple, Microsoft, Oracle ... we can explain above examples by this or that reasoning...

The sound of American piano is more meaty, but I'm sure that American piano manufacturers can create European sound, Asian sound, but they don't do it because they know they can not sell European or Asian sound to American consumers, so they create new sound, American sound. One obvious example is Steinway, after rupture during WW II, NY and Hambourg Steinway reunited and can create same sound if they want, but they don’t. And the production and consumption of NY Steinway are much higher than other parts of the world, if they don’t create Hambourg sound in US, it’s because they will not be able to sell them as well as the NY sound.

What make American choose and buy American sound?

Anatomy reason? I observe that Asian human male voice is not as bass as American human male voice (but American woman voice is very different from French woman voice, it's like American women use a different part of their vocal cord to speak), maybe there is a correlation with piano sound. People live in different part of the world, eat different foods, grow up at different rates, have different body shapes then those things influence their taste of sound?

Living condition? American house is much bigger than any other parts of the world, is there any correlation between house size and piano sound? European or Asian sound will not sound good in a big house?

Musical or cultural factors? US is a new country in comparison to Europe, the music of first generations of immigrants, pioneers to the new land could not be as delicate, complex as European classical music, and that had impacts on the sound of piano which would go along with the music? And the favorite American sound from first generations is transferred to later generations?

???

Great question-

I am interested technically what makes them different too, but I don't know and hope someone can answer that.

American taste has taken the best of Europe and refined it further. Here are examples in the foods area (cheeses and desserts):
Cheese:
Europe:

Roquefort
Pecorino Romano
Stilton
Emmental
Crottin de Chavignol

American:
Velveeta
Cheez Whiz
Kraft American singles

Desserts:
Europe:
Strawberry Savarin
mille-feuille
Bethmännchen
baba au rhum
Black forrest cake

America:
spicy caramel popcorn
donuts
brownies
cinnamon buns

Best wishes-

This is a very interesting question.

My own observation would be that sound has developed in different countries and continents based on different tone ideals over long time.

Let's not forget that Europe has had a long and very strong tradition of opera, chamber music, [church] choirs, folk songs, etc, all of which has undoubtedly influenced the tone of their pianos, especially in the treble.

And then later, also American pianos, often based on some sort of European based origin. Adding perhaps more power in bass section but not necessarily more transparency or 'clarity' in treble.

Many makers over the years have copied others creating 'hybrids' of sorts, especially among the Japanese and Chinese.

I know what I'm saying is very general and not necessarily applicable to each and every instrument.

Dare I say that Estonia has perhaps one of the most "unique" sounding instruments among modern pianos on market today. And there's a reason for it.

It's usually quickly discovered once being tried.

Go out and explore this or let somebody show you - it's a truly fascinating subject!

Norbert

The "American" piano sound began with Chickering. They used deeper strike point ratios than their European contemporaries. They also were more rugged as regards resisting the tension of the strings and their wood was dried more before manufacturing a piano. Steinway learned much from Chickerings start and took much of the building techniques further down the road of structural solidity.

Contemporaneous Chickering actions were lighter and more facile than Steinways actions. Steinway later improved their actions with the adoption of the Erard double escapement actions. Though artists often found they were too heavy.

Steinway's fanned, overstrung string scale of the 1870's became to be called the "Systeme Americain" in Europe and most of the European makers adopted much of the principals.

Chickering, Baldwin, Mason & Hamlin, Knabe, and of course Steinway set the standard for American piano sound. Some other American makers such as A.B. Chase, Cable-Nelson, Everett, Ivers and Pond, made world class vertical pianos. Most of the other makers made purely commodity pianos or were quirky dead ends such as Kranich and Bach and Sohmer.

Now, The USA has so few makers that little remains of a purely home built industry. Some parts must be purchased from suppliers in Asia and Europe because they are no longer made in the USA.

What I think an American piano sound is: large dynamic range, (not only loud, I mean capable of very soft and very loud expression), vocal in character across the dynamic range, even across the entire compass, and excellent projection in large acoustic spaces.

I also just think this is good piano tone, and every piano maker should strive for this same musical result.

Really? Are you joking? Did you taste Mediterranean food? (Remember: Spain, France, Italy, Greece...).
If the NY Steinway is the big horse of american pianos... I am asking why the most of artist prefer the Hamburg ones.

Is that so?
Do American-made pianos sell better in America than pianos made in China, Japan, or South Korea?
I'd be surprised if it were so.

EDIT: I did not mention Europe, because I believe that Asian pianos sell better worldwide, including America, than European pianos.

This really had me rolling on the floor laughing.

Americans are scared of TTIP because that might overrule the ban on REAL French cheese. Not the sorry alternatives which are sold in the US.

It's much, much easier in the US to buy a heavy automatic assault rifle then it is to import real Brie cheese.. It is also hardly possible to buy Roquefort for a normal price. Let alone the more special variants such as the Normandian cheeses like Pont l'Eveque.
Where Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano is a very common ingredient in Europe you get Cheddar in America. Yikes.
If you buy a Dutch cheese in America you can get a local made excuse for real Gouda cheese. Try to get Boeren Stolwijker, Texelse Schapenkaas or perhaps Komijnekaas?

Don't even get me started on desserts.. Let's talk about a Doughnut vs a Tarte Tatin.

Or shall we compare an AOC Huile d'Olive with Crisco. Sorry I don't want to make a caricature out of the US but this was just hilarious.

In my opinion: What the American's have done with taste is:
Loose all subtleties and add lots of sugar, cream and boldness.

In that respect I am glad that although cream and boldness are definitely in the American sound-taste profile, there is enough attention to subtlety in American pianos.


Oh and by the way, I have mentioned it before:

There is no Europe as a country or as something with common denominators in taste or culture. The differences here are VAST. HUGE.

I'm sure phacke's post was ironic. I was sure as soon as i read about kraft american singles. Which we have in europe as well, by the way, but consider them garbage / junk food ( i'm sure in Usa you do as well ) That couldn't be serious.

Lol, my irony detection has failed me again... Again laughing, but now about myself..

My irony scanner is always on in double power setting, due to my different language: i always read twice, but it anyway fails pretty often. You never know how strong your language actually is until someone begins using irony.

Reading it again it was to obvious. Lol... the wine (from Puglia, Italy ) must have blurred me a bit

Just as there is, objectively, no best ice cream, there is no best tone quality in pianos. Many players like a bright, sparkling tone quality, while others prefer a darker, mellower tone with varying amounts and types of harmonic content.

The manufacturer produces a piano with a particular sound by specifying the composition and dimensions of the piano’s soundboard, ribs, bridges, strings, and plate. Taken together, these elements form what is known as the piano’s scale design. The multitude of scale designs on the market fall into three basic types—European, American, and Asian—though this is a generalization, as many instruments today display elements of more than one type of scale design.

European Scale Design

Because the piano was invented and evolved in 18th-century Europe, the European scale design evolved along with the piano itself. Early pianos could support only very low string tension, producing a tone with low volume, few high harmonics, and short sustain. A frequent early use of the piano was in chamber music and solo recitals in small venues. Even though the piano eventually came to be capable of supporting higher tension, a number of European manufacturers have, over the years, maintained some of the traditional tonal qualities of their ancestors’ instruments, including lower power and volume, and a more intimate sound. Bösendorfer and Blüthner are examples of European-scaled instruments.

American Scale Design

The American scale design, evolving as it did from the music of the Romantic era during the early development of the piano in 19th-century America, is radically different from the European scale design. The American scale design, higher in tension than the European, produces a tone rich in higher harmonics and with louder sustain, which translates to a more powerful sound, one capable of being played in larger venues, and being heard over the sound of an orchestra. Exemplified by Steinway & Sons, and favored by many classical players, it is the overwhelming choice of U.S. concert venues.

Although during the piano’s “golden age” (approximately 1880–1940) there were well over 100 manufacturers producing pianos with American scale designs, today there are only a few: Steinway, Baldwin, Mason & Hamlin, Pramberger, and Charles R. Walter.

Asian Scale Design

The Asian scale designs evolved from the stringed instruments used for playing the traditional folk music of the Pacific Rim: the Koto, Shamisen and Biwa of Japan; the Guqin, Se, and Guzheng of China; the Gayageum, Geomungo, and Dajaeng of Korea; and others. Like the modern-day mandolin, banjo, and sitar, these instruments tended to sound bright, with little harmonic content.

Generally speaking, the Asian scale design in today’s pianos produces a bright, clear, percussive tone, with little tonal color. These tonal characteristics are often favored by jazz players and others who want power coupled with crystal clarity. Yamaha and Kawai were among the best known pianos with this kind of scale design, with Yamaha tending to be the brighter of the two. However recent changes in their scale designs have resulted in a warmer sound.

Not surprisingly the American scale design is overwhelming the most popular choice for concert venues in the United States.

Steve, I don't want to hijack this thread but you believe there was a "golden age" then?

I find it curious that Larry Fine states:

"The tone of most Kawai pianos, in my opinion, is not as ideal for classical music as some more expensive instruments, but when expertly voiced, it is not far off, and in any case is quite versatile musically."

Why would the Kawai not be ideal for classical music? Which piano sound is ideal?

I would really like to have a CD that has examples of each of these. Words do not fully describe sound.

Sound describes sound much better.

Here in the U.S., yes.

For sure!!!

Most of the contemporary European and Asian scales have longer string lengths and thus higher tensions than Most American scales. Also, some of the Asian pianos use harder metal in the casting and this contributes to a brighter tone.

Good Post Steve and well presented. Definitely goes the closest to answering the original question in a plausible way.

I wish I could disagree with Phacke's phacetious post but after my first trip to mexico eating locally sourced food that hadn't been through two factories, 2 warehouses and a distribution center, I was depressed for weeks about how we've stripped flavor from our foods in the name of efficiency. I asked a taqueria guy in Michoacan why their tacos were so good. He said the MAIN thing is that there was very little factory farming in Mexico (this was 10 years ago, this is changing) and that the cows walk around on open range eating mostly natural grass. The corn masa is less processed so it taste like corn and the chiles were in the fields days or weeks ago and he buys them 50 lbs at a time from a business one town over that grows them and dries them behind where he buys them. Simple, fresh, and the flavor left in.

speaking of food, I have 9 people coming for dinner...I'm supposed to be at the market.

Kurt

As the Contributing Editor of Piano Buyer, your question peaked my interest. So I called Larry.

First, he thanks you for pointing out the quote which I think has been in Piano Buyer, unedited for 5 years. 5 years ago, both Yamaha and Kawai were much brighter than today's models, and many thought they were too bright for some classical pieces, especially when compared to other makes with mellower and more harmonic scale designs.

During that time both Yamaha and Kawai have evolved their tone quality to be both mellower and a bit more harmonic.

We will be editing that comment in future issues.

Thanks again for your question.