piqué, and Jodi, and P*D ... the verdict is still out. I'm going to play another piano at a private seller's tomorrow....

quote:

May I ask why a little grand rather than a high quality console?

Steve, for one thing, I have always wanted a grand piano. Now that I actually have a room that can hold one, I really want a grand piano.

But there are musical reasons. For one thing, I am ready to not have the sound being thrown in my face when I play. Also, and more importantly, I have much, much better ability to control the dynamics when I play a grand, and that is something I really want, that level of control and expression. I'm a pretty mediocre pianist, and so a better musician would probably be able to do better with an upright than I am able to. But when I sit down to play a grand, it feels so, soooo different, and my playing feels, and sounds, better. It's like night and day. Mr SK has really been commenting on it these days because heretofore, the times I played a grand were usually in piano lessons (and he wasn't there). Now that he's accompanying me to all the piano shops, and I'm playing pieces he's heard me play at home, he said he really notices how much better it sounds on the grands I'm testing out. I play better with the grand action, and I can hear and feel it, and he can hear it too.

Also (non-musical reason) I would like to be able to see around me when I play, I'd like to be able to see my violin friend when we play together and I think it will make it easier to play with her when we can more easily use visual cues for timing etc. All of those are things you can do with a grand, but not an upright.

So although I know that just in terms of the sound, a really good upright can be better than a not so great small grand, I have come to think that applies more to the listener than the pianist, because it doesn't take into account the action and the other details that go together to make the experience for the person playing. And, I'm not going to get a "bad" grand, I'm going to get one that sounds good to my ears, so it will be better to me than a high-end upright.