Pianos Buying Guide

Whether it's buying a new piano  as a beginner or upgrading to improve your song writing,  having the piano that works best for your wallet and for your music  is essential.    

Discovering Pianos

Pianos  are often differentiated based upon their size,  colour,  sound quality,  type of wood finish,  cost, and reliability.  With different types of pianos  available, each provides a unique experience.  It is helpful to know what you hope to take away from playing the piano,  as well as estimating what piano size  will fit in with your space.   

Grand Piano Vs. Upright Piano
Grand Piano  A grand piano lets you play your music in style.  A baby grand  generally refers to pianos smaller than 6 feet long. A concert grand piano  includes pianos 9 feet or greater in length.  The main difference between the lengths lies in the quality of the bass tones,  the quantity of sound  it produces, and the overall quality of sound. Professional pianists  can be found using the grand piano,  though the baby grand  is suitable for beginners to learn on.	Upright Piano  An upright piano  produces a rich quality of tone  and takes up minimal space. These pianos are also referred to as vertical pianos  and are differentiated based on their size.  Spinet pianos  are around 36 inches tall. Console pianos  are roughly 40 inches tall. Studio pianos  are approximately 45 inches tall. Professional pianos  are typically 48 inches tall or higher. These pianos are ideal for piano students,  though professional musicians  will buy these as well.

 

Digital Piano
	Electronic pianos  will allow for some fun in musical experiments.  Digital pianos  have the capabilities to record music  as you play it.   With sound chips  and speakers,  digital keyboards  allow other keyboard  sounds to be created.  These include harpsichord,  organ,  and background music.    A popular modern alternative to the acoustic piano,  this type of instrument  is widely used.

Choosing a Piano Maker

Believe it or not, pianos from different countries  produce different sounds.  Due to the differences in materials used in piano production,  the overall tone  and feel of the keys  will be dramatically different.    

•  American Pianos
• American-made pianos  tend to use high quality product and design and therefore become more expensive.
• Recommended American piano brands : 
• Baldwin 
• Hobart M. Cable 
• Mason and Hamlin 
• Steinway 
• Winter & Co. 
• Asian Pianos
• Asian-made pianos  are highly regarded today. 
• The most popular brands come from Japan.   They are:
• Yamaha 
• Kawai 
• European Pianos
• Czech Republic:
• Bohemia 
• Petrof 
• Riegler-Kloss 
• Scholze 
• Germany/Austria:
• Bechstein 
• Bosendorfer 
• Feurich 
• Grotrian 
• Hamburg Steinway 
• Ibach 
• Sauter 
• Schimmel 
• Seiler 
• France: 
• Erard 
• Gaveau 
• Pleyel 
• Rameau 
• United Kingdom:
• Bentley 
• Broadwood 
• Chappell 
• Collard & Collard 
• Kemble 
• Welmar 
• Woodchester 

Related Guides

Classical Music	Jazz Music	Music Blogs	Musical Instruments

External Links

• 8Notes.com: Piano resources and sheet music.
• Piano.com: Full of information for piano-lovers. 
• Wikipedia.org: Article about piano histories.