Acoustic Pianos

As stated on the previous page, acoustic pianos are traditional pianos with strings which are struck causing the vibrating string at a predetermined frequency to transfer its' energy through the bridge to the soundboard, causing the soundboard to oscillate moving air/sound waves through the air to our eardrum.

The strengths of an acoustic piano are:

A more traditional tone.
Dynamic action touch.
Classical furniture styling.

Pianos over the years have been designed and manufactured in many shapes and sizes. design changes have come about both by engineering changes as well as market demand changes. There have been several acoustic piano designs that are no longer in production. We will not attempt two cover these types of pianos here. If you have an interest in these types of pianos you may desire to visit our piano university pages or our piano museum. Here however, we will share a brief overview of the two primary acoustic piano classes and their most popular styles.

Vertical pianos

Vertical pianos are often referred to as uprights although this is not an accurate description as it often is confused with an older vertical piano style known as uprights or upright grands. a vertical piano is any piano whose strings, plate and sound board stand in the vertical position. vertical pianos are more compact and require a smaller footprint and therefore are often preferred by those with limited floor space. They are most typically positioned with the back of the piano against a wall. while this does make good use of precious square footage, vertical pianos most often do not project their tone as well as grand pianos due to the baffling of the sound both from the wall and the closed cabinet. the action mechanisms within a the vertical piano sit on top of the keys and extend vertically. as a result, there are more levers involved and springs required to assist the hammer in recoiling after it strikes the strings. these factors do cause the vertical piano action to be less responsive and slightly slower than the grand action. This is more of a concern to accomplished pianist has a requires several years for a student to require a more responsive action and faster repetition. As with any acoustic piano, the larger the pianos' soundboard the fuller and richer the tone . most typically however, the larger the piano, the higher the cost. today there are three primary styles of vertical pianos.

Spinet pianos
console pianos
Studio pianos

Grand pianos

grand pianos are those whose strings, plates and sound boards are positioned horizontally. grand pianos consume more floor space but traditionally considered more attractive in styling. The sound waves projected from the sound board of a grand piano are allowed to move more freely both from the bottom as well as the top providing the lid is opened. the greatest difference in the grand piano is its action mechanism design. The stack which sits atop the key frame and key sticks are combined into what's known as the grand piano action. as the key is struck and grand piano the hammers are catapulted vertically and recoil downward to their rest position. Because there are fewer levers involved in the grand action and primarily because gravity assists greatly in the hammers recoil, the grand action provides a quicker repetition and greater dynamic control over the keyboard. there are many different sizes of grand pianos based solely on manufacturers design. Although many manufacturers have often utilized many different marketing terms for different models of grand pianos, technically all grand pianos fall into one of three styles based on their size. When measuring a grand piano, the measurements are taken from the very front of the key bed to the rear or tail of the piano.

baby grands pianos
grand pianos
concert grand pianos