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0:00 - Video Introduction Upright Pianos v.s. Grand Pianos
1:04 - Grand Piano Sound Demo on The Estonia L190
1:20 - Upright Piano Sound Demo in the C. Bechstein A124
1:38 - Video Overview Upright Pianos v.s. Grand Pianos
2:16 - Myth #1: Grand pianos are always more expensive than upright pianos.
3:21 - The rim of a grand piano
5:17 - Myth #2: Grand pianos are louder than upright pianos.
9:08 - Myth #3: Grand pianos are for advanced players, uprights are for beginners.
9:45 - What are the differences between a grand piano and upright piano action?
13:26 - Myth #4: Upright pianos have a lighter touch than grand pianos.
16:40 - Myth #5: Upright pianos have no bass.
18:46 - Myth #6: Grand pianos have more control than uprights.
20:38 - Conclusions and Outro
Hello and welcome to the Merriam Pianos KZfaq channel. Today we’ll tackle the six most common myths regarding grand vs upright pianos.
We run into these myths all the time, especially during back-to-school season when many families decide to make a piano purchase. We’re going to clear up these common misconceptions today, and hopefully, this will serve you on your piano-buying journey.
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Background
We happen to love upright pianos here at Merriam Pianos, and sometimes we think they can be unfairly criticized, which is one of the reasons we decided to make this video.
Upright pianos, especially high-end ones, can deliver superb musical experiences and shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. With that out of the way, let’s get started with myth #1.
Top 6 Myths
Myth #1: Grand Pianos Are Always More Expensive Than Upright Pianos
This one is simply untrue on its face, though we need to add some context. New upright pianos vary in price from about $3,000 and can get up to $80,000 or more. Many grand pianos fall within this range, and in fact, most of the grand pianos that are sold sell for between $10,000 and $30,000.
Now, the most expensive grand pianos are of course substantially more expensive than the most expensive upright pianos due to the added manufacturing costs associated with a grand piano of equal quality to an upright piano.
If comparing uprights and grands of equal quality, the grand piano is going to cost at least twice as much in most cases.
As you can see, there are many upright pianos that cost more than grands, but if comparing instruments of equal quality, the grand is going to cost more.
Myth #2: Grand Pianos Are Louder Than Upright Pianos
Like our first myth, this one is simply false. An upright piano with a similarly sized soundboard and strings to a given grand piano will produce the same volume as said grand piano.
For example, the average 52” upright will generally produce as much volume as a 5’10” grand piano.
In preparation for this video, we did this experiment for ourselves by measuring the volume produced by a 50” C. Bechstein upright and a 6’3” Shigeru Kawai SK3 - the volume was the same.
Due to their designs and the fact that upright pianos are often played with the lids closed, grands will generally project more and may appear louder, but this difference diminishes if you open the upright piano lid.
And of course, larger grand pianos simply don’t have upright pianos with comparably sized soundboards and string lengths, so this creates the perception that grands in general are always louder.
Myth #3: Grands Are For Advanced Players, Uprights Are For Beginners
This myth is closer to the truth, but there are plenty of cases where this myth is simply not accurate.
At a certain playing level, a grand will be an ideal choice for those preparing for performances or recording. This is due to the action differences between grand and uprights - due to their inherent physical natures, grand actions are generally able to be played faster than upright actions of the same quality by advanced classical players.
At the same time, 99.99% of piano players are not at an advanced enough level to truly tell the difference, and a good upright piano will still deliver a great experience.
Myth #4: Uprights Have A Lighter Touch Than Grands
We hear this one quite often. Larger grand pianos tend to be heavier than upright pianos due to the fact that they have larger hammers, but on smaller and mid sized grands, the weighting of the touch is going to be quite comparable to an upright, assuming the grand piano has been properly regulated.
Myth #5: Upright Pianos Have No Bass
This myth is very false. Bass tone is largely a function of the length of the bass strings, materials and the size of a piano’s soundboards.
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