Piano Forum

Topic: Help Wanted - Please Advise  (Read 1898 times)

Offline atticus

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 77
Help Wanted - Please Advise
on: November 08, 2005, 01:47:46 PM
Hi all,

I'm hoping to get some advice on purchasing an acoustic piano. 

Currently, I have a digital piano (Yamaha P250).  I have had this for a few years and I am considering upgrading to an acoustic upright piano (I can't consider a grand right now due to limited space).  I am very committed to playing piano; however, my playing level is only intermediate (bach 2-part inventions, Chopin preludes).  I would like to get an acoustic piano to help improve my musicality and to continue to progress.  I find it difficult to play pp and ff on the digital.  I also struggle when playing my teachers acoustic grand because of the differences in the actions between my digital and his grand.

Now for the questions...What type of upright would be considered an upgrade from my digital?  What would be the approximate price range?  Should I get a new piano or go for a used piano?  Will purchasing an upright help at all with the problems I have playing on my teachers grand or are uprights and grands so different that it won't make any difference?  And finally, can playing on an upright (as opposed to digital) help improve musicality since it has a broader dynamic range, different mechanism?

Thanks,
atticus

Offline zheer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2794
Re: Help Wanted - Please Advise
Reply #1 on: November 08, 2005, 06:39:17 PM
A YAMAHA upright will cost you £2500. Its your hard earned cash , but i think its a great choice. Walk into a piano show room and try them out .
" Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends" - Tom Cruise -

Offline pantonality

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 86
Re: Help Wanted - Please Advise
Reply #2 on: November 08, 2005, 10:11:39 PM
There are many makers of fine upright pianos, including but not limited to, Petroff, Yamaha, Charles Walter, Perzina and many more. I hope you're aware of other forums that may prove more helpful than this one. If you need help finding them just let me know.

Offline atticus

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 77
Re: Help Wanted - Please Advise
Reply #3 on: November 09, 2005, 12:07:08 PM
Thanks for the replies.

Pantonality, any links to other forums are appreciated!

Thanks again,
atticus

Offline donjuan

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3139
Re: Help Wanted - Please Advise
Reply #4 on: November 09, 2005, 06:22:43 PM
I know how you feel when you say you struggle when playing your teacher's grand, after practicing all week on a digital.  In fact, I had an upright and still struggled to play on the grand because of the aftertouch feature.  Hopefully you will be more accomodating than I. 

I second zheer and say Yamaha is a great choice.  They are just soooo popular that if you practice on one, you should be set to play many other pianos.  Also, Yamaha is known for their consistency in workmanship.

Petrof is probably a little more expensive, but I know they use a modified renner action, which feels really nice.  It all depends on your budget, really.  Maybe you should get a yamaha because you will not have any problem selling it if you want to move up to something else.


Just DONT waste your money on a spinet!\
donjuan

Offline mer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 8
Re: Help Wanted - Please Advise
Reply #5 on: November 11, 2005, 05:32:13 AM
Hi Atticus,

I too had a digital for a long time, going without piano lessons for many years (but could read music just fine from childhood organ lessons).  Then recently I decided to take lessons - found a great teacher.  It was about 2 months into my lessons that I realized the digital (a top of the line Kawai with wooden keys) was not capable of responding to my touch the way an acoustic does - technique my teacher was trying to teach me, but which I could not practice at home on the digital.   I also had a difficult time playing the teacher's acoustic due to the action differences.

I too struggled with whether or not an upright could give me what I needed, or whether I needed a grand.   I went with a high quality European-built taller upright (49") to get the full sound for now, then perhaps later I'll get a grand.

My impressions 6 months later? - I don't sense that I'm lacking anything in either sound quality or action by getting a good upright.   Yes, there will always be differences between all the acoustics' actions and keyboards, and I still have a small amount of adjustment to make when I get to my teacher's grand each week. 

I'm happy with my decision and  think my playing has improved a great deal as a result.  If I feel that I'm missing something by not having  a grand, then I'll be in a better position to evaluate them later on as opposed to now.

But my digital is getting quite lonely!

Offline atticus

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 77
Re: Help Wanted - Please Advise
Reply #6 on: November 11, 2005, 12:22:43 PM
Hi mer,

Thanks very much for your post.  It's great to hear from someone that was in a similiar situation. 

Was it difficult to select an acoustic piano after playing a digital for a long time?  I have only owned a digital so I'm not sure how to go about knowing a "good" acoustic piano when I see one.  I am only familiar with the action and sound of my digital.

Thanks,
atticus

Offline mer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 8
Re: Help Wanted - Please Advise
Reply #7 on: November 12, 2005, 01:22:22 AM
Hi Atticus,

it was difficult at the beginning of my search for an upright piano.  The first thing I did was read "The Piano Book" by Larry Fine.   I wouldn't set foot inside a piano showroom without having first read the most pertinent parts of this book.

This book helped me narrow my search from the very beginning to the quality tier of piano brands that I thought I could afford.   Larry Fine explains the marketing of pianos so you know what claims are important and which are just marketing hype.  He evaluates and ranks the various brands.  Name has very little to do these days with country of manufacture - don't be fooled by the German parts names.

So after deciding I would ignore Chinese-built pianos, I went to stores to try out pianos.   The first visits left me very confused, as they all sounded the same to me, even the $50,000 grands.   I played cheap, mid-level, and very very expensive pianos in an attempt to develop an ear for the differences.  After a couple of visits to various stores, I was able to discern differences in the tone.   

I noticed fairly quickly that the shorter uprights suffer in the bass sections due to the shorter string length while the mid and treble sections had lesser sound differences.

If you are satistified with the quality of the piano, you've also got to love both the sound and the action.  Just okay just doesn't cut it.   Some pianos that others raved about didn't thrill me at all.  It's all about personal preference at this point.   The Yamahas were too bright in general.  I tried a Weinbach (same as Petrof) and loved the sound - a mellow sound with an action that I really liked.  Got the one off of the showroom floor since it had obviously been well-prepped.

I'm glad I didn't try to pick out a grand.  Choosing the upright was difficult enough.

Good luck in your search!

Meredith
For more information about this topic, click search below!

Piano Street Magazine:
International Piano Day 2024

Piano Day is an annual worldwide event that takes place on the 88th day of the year, which in 2024 is March 28. Established in 2015, it is now well known across the globe. Every year it provokes special concerts, onstage and online, as well as radio shows, podcasts, and playlists. Read more
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert