Small room for grand?

[Ade1967]

We’ve just relocated from the city to the country and for the first time I’ll be able to buy an acoustic piano. Because of neighbours I made the decision to get a digital piano while in the city to avoid any conflicts. The house we’ve move to is not detached but is quite old and has 2’ 6’’ thick solid stone built walls so with a little bit more sound proofing disturbing the neighbours shouldn’t be a problem. We’ve set aside a room 16’ by 10’ to be the music room.

My heart is telling me to buy a baby grand (5’8’’) but my head is telling me that it would swamp the room and be too loud and to get a good upright instead. How many people have got a 5’8’’ baby grand (or near that size) and what size room are they in? Do you have any problem with how loud it is?

[Axtremus]

A 10'x16' room is really not that bad. It depends on whether  it has one side that "opens up" to a bigger space. If the entrance to the room is big, you can position the piano such that it's wing lid would open up towards the entrance/adjacent space. That, or you can always play with the lid closed. Full carpeting and/or rug on the floor, window treatment, curtains, wall hangings, upholstered furniture, etc. can all help absorb sound. After all that, you can still find pianos that are inherently softer/mellower. Bösendorfer and August Förster make inherently soft-sounding pianos. You can also find mellower samples of other brands that you can pick one and get it voiced down to your taste.

[jr11]

Definately, get a grand, if the room is to be dedicated to music and neighbours are not a problem. I have a 165cm grand in a slightly larger room, and no doubt it is loud, but the kind of loud that will put a maniacal grin on your face. A slightly smaller grand will save you some money and space and still fill up the room with sound nicely.

With those stone walls, you may have a great recording studio possibilities as well. Get yourself a computer setup and a big condenser mic, and you're set!

[Saturn]

I agree with the others, get the grand!

I have a 5'8 grand, which is in our dining room, which has wood floors.  It connects with our kitchen, living room, and the rest of the house, so it's not closed in.  We don't have stone walls, but I think we do have a bit of soundproofing.  When I play with the lid closed (almost always), there's no problem of noise; you can't even really hear the piano from next door.  My piano is quite loud too, but with the doors/windows shut, it's not a big deal.

Now, playing with the lid up is a completely different story.  If I put it all the way up, the dogs next door bark along with my playing.  But with stone walls and soundproofing you should be fine.

- Saturn

[donjuan]

My 5'8'' yamaha takes up al most 1/4 of the room, and there is no door to block off sound to the kitchen, bedrooms, and Family room.  It is, for the most part fine, but some days it sounds painfully bright, and I cant stand it myself.  
donjuan

[Babcock]

That room is big enough for a small grand.  I'm building a studio to house my D and the 185 Pramberger.  It will be about 20" by 25" with walls 10" high and a cathedral ceiling.  The floor will be wood so the room will be live.  To keep the sound transfer to a minimum, I am using wider framing material, with a special heavier insulation, mounting 5/8 fiercode drywall on resilient channels, and having the studio heated and cooled with a separate system from the rest of the house so there can be  no sound transfer that way.  All of the studio ductwork and electrical lines will be mounted inside on the surface so that there are no holes in the wall for sound to escape.   Windows will only be at one end and are triple glazed for extra sound and temperature insulation This way, I can play with the lid of the D right up with no worries.

[JimM]

I have a 7' Mason and Hamlin (214 cm) in a 10x16x10 room with sheetrock walls and ceiling and a finished concrete floor.  The house is new and does not yet have any window coverings, rugs or wall hangings, and until it's decorated I won't have the piano voiced.  Obviously, it is very loud!  As a short-term fix, I bought some acoustic foam (the kind they use in studios) and stuffed it under the piano between the bracing and the soundboard.  Made a big difference both in volume and voice (mellower) because the sound no longer bounces off the concrete.  I'm with the rest of the group - go for the grand, and use this trick if you need to.

[ivoryplayer4him]

i played on a wurlitzner in a very very small room.  it was a hand crafted grande piano that was about 90,000 dollars.   I love it.  With a smaller room, you can feel the bass flowing through your arms as you play.  I guarruntee that you will love the idea of a grand in your room.

[Ade1967]

Thank you all for your help. You all said exactly what I was hoping you’d say and that’s a great idea, JimM, about the acoustic foam.

I think I’m going to go for a either a Yamaha C2 or C3 but will need to have a go on a few others. I’ve not really had a proper go on any baby grands because I never thought I’d be in a position to get one so I’ve only been looking at uprights. It’s great not having to compromise as with previous houses by having to  combine it with another function: music/dining room or music/bedroom or music/study.

I’ll let you know which one I choose and what it sounds like in the room. Due to renovation work on the house it’s probably going to be after November before I’ll be able to get it.

Ade