Grand Pianos Introduction

[shingo]

Hi,
It may seem a bit of a vague and broad question to be answered but I was just wondeirng about Grand's and I realised I had no idea about them in terms of specific makes and which are good for what. What to look for in them, what price range do certain types and variaties fall under etc. It's not that I am intending to buy one at the moment as I am only a student, but it is something I wan't to get in the future and just wondered if there were any useful threads or sites to give some basic information so that I may fantasise for the next few years on which one I would idealy have in my practice room.
Thanks again.

[richard black]

Read on down the threads in this section of the forum and you'll find some opinions, but it's hard to deny that in an overall sense you get what you pay for. Cheap grands can be sorta OK, expensive ones are not always perfect, but as a rule the more money you've got the better the instrument you're liable to end up with.

Secondhand, that's not quite so true. Secondhand Steinways are overpriced relative to most other makes simply because everyone knows they're (usually) good, while some very good but obscure makes from the past have trouble selling at any price.

[shingo]

Yeah I will definitely look through these threads for a better idea on things. Is there any form of hirachical order of brands in comparison to quality. Obviously Steinway would be way up there but what would be an example of a medium and low quality brand? Or can some low quality brands actually do some deacent specific models and it is not as clear cut as a brand hirachy?
Thanks for your input.

[prongated]

Rule of thumb: shop around, play it for yourself and discern what you like. Always keep in mind the bank account!

If you wish, check out such threads as: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,674.0.html

In general, from my observations, there are three tiers of piano makes: the super expensive, the cheap (and in most cases, not so good), and the in-between. I'd put such makes as Steinway, Fazioli etc. in the super expensive class, anything made by Pearl River in the 'cheap' class, and Yamaha, Kawai etc. in the in-between.

Of course, price doesn't always translate to quality. For example, I do prefer certain Kawai pianos over certain Steinways, even though the Steinway equivalent costs substantially more, sometimes almost double the price! This is not to mention that, particularly with Steinways, pianos can sound and feel very different, even within same makes.

It is good to research into detail what you are going to get, but ultimately you should let your ears and senses guide you...

[gerry]

Shingo:
You ask the $64,000 question (I'm sure you're too young to remember that game show) and if you ask 100 people unfortunately you will get 100 different answers (just glance at the myriad strings and strong opinions expressed on this forum dealing with this subject). Since you're still a student, you have plenty of time to indulge your fantasy by trying as many pianos as possible. Every time you are in a major city, take time to seek out the piano showrooms and ask to play their floor samples. While doing so, make mental or physical notes about your observations. Play music of different composers (baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, contemporary, etc.) and note advantages and deficiencies; pay attention to action, dynamic range, etc. Most importantly, don't take too seriously all the opinions of others - finding your instrument is an extremely personal search - akin to falling in love. At least in my case, I visited a showroom and "fell in love" at first play (Chopin Etude Op25 #1) with a Bosendorfer 225 - that's the 7'4" model. I must have returned to play it about 4 or 5 times over a period of 3 months until finally the dealer called and said "let's deal". Ironically, I wasn't actively looking for a new piano at the time but the minute I started playing it, I knew I had to have it. In all fairness, 1969 prices were WAY less than they are now! While it doesn't hurt to arm yourself with technical facts such as reliability, materials used, etc., in the end, you need to play and listen more with your heart than to others' opinions. May the force be with you.

"Through all the tones that sound in earth's fitful dream, one gentle note is there for the secret listener."  (translation of Fr. Schlegel included as a "motto" for Schumann's "Phantasie")

[shingo]

Thankyou for your replies, that link is now bookmarked and will be read as soon as I get chance. But now I understand that a make is not always everything in terms of personal preference and tone variation etc, so I guess the only real way to tell is to try them out as both of you suggest.
Thanks again.