How does a Steinway feel?

[chewbacha]

Hey all, I have a competition coming up soon and we're going to be using Steinways! This is my first time using a Steinway which worries me a lot as I am not exactly that good in having transitions on pianos.

What could you tell me about the touch of the keys, the sound, it's tone, etc. about a Steinway?

p.s I really don't know the model, could be a B or an A, not entirely sure..

[iansinclair]

Like a piano, only better...

Seriously, try and get a chance to play it, or a similar piano if you possibly can.  All makes are different, models within a make differ, and pianos within a model differ.

[hfmadopter]

Sitting at a Steinway raises your expectations a bit because you see the quality in front of you and you know the reputation. That's where the expecatations end and as mentioned the individual piano itself makes all the difference. You could be very happy or not just as well, though the build quality is still there. What I played on was warm toned, great bass, the action tight or slightly heavy but accurate. It was a piano in great condition but over the years it was let to go out of tune and in need of regulation. At that point it was worse than some other pianos to play.

[quantum]

Steinway or otherwise, you would need to play it in order to familiarize yourself with the instrument.  We could write generalizations about our own experiences with Steinway, but how is that really going to help you if your Steinway is different? 

Adapting to different instruments is one of the quirks and challenges of playing the piano - it is something you must learn to deal with.  Most of us do not have the luxury of carting around our own concert grand for every concert.  A pianist will frequently encounter an unfamiliar instrument he/she will have to perform on.  You need to be able to adapt your performance and interpretation to the instrument. 

[ajspiano]

It really depends on the individual instrument.. and you should try to get a practice session on it if you can.

That said, as an example..  the steinway B that I played in a few competitions was quite a beautiful piano. The key difference was that the low end had a lot more guts than I was used to. The thing was just powerful.

But one has to remember that that may just be a reflection of the fact that it was a big grand piano, with longer bass strings than the uprights I was more used to playing..  not necessarily a steinway thing, just a grand thing.

How you use an instrument is also dependent on the acoustics of the hall, which is why its more relevant to just go and try it out.

[thesixthsensemusic]

A brand new Steinway feels like the best piano you have ever touched. It offers the best average between sensitive touch and perfect sound. A restored Steinway (of which they replaced the mechanics) sounds perfect but feels like a typical contemporary mid-price-range-grand due to the Renner mechanism. There's no match for the feeling of a brand new one but you can get a much better sound-to-price-ratio with a vintage instrument. For example: the standard concert grand is a Steinway D-274 which has been produced with only minor changes since the 1880's. Buying an instrument like that with loads of work done on the action is always a safe bet, but there are better ones for sale at lower prices if you manage to track down a well-maintained Bösendorfer, Bechstein or other brand without action replacement,

They sound awesome and are much cheaper to buy than a typical restored Steinway model, but you don't pay for the brand, just for the instrument. TBH (but this is just my personal opinion) I'd recommend anyone to buy a new Petrof 190cm model above a restored Steinway one. The price difference is huge, the quality difference is negligeable, but if you have enough money to spend that's not an issue. However, if new, there's no instrument that can beat a brand spanking new Steinway, it's just the price tag that's in anyone's way.

[iansinclair]

There is a lot of truth in sixthsense's comments, and it is worth remembering that the name on the case may not, in the situation of a rebuilt instrument, reflect the action.

Which is one reason -- perhaps the main reason -- why neither of my Steinways have new actions.  My main stay is an 1898 A, with the original action (the hammers have been worked on, but nothing has been changed or replaced).  I have to say that the action is a bear to adjust properly, but when you get it right it stays there and is superbly sensitive.  And it can be done.  The other is a 1924 M; the action is similar, but much easier to adjust.  The old A has the better action.

Bottom line on that?  I'd have to agree with sixthsense -- if the action has been replaced, the feel is pretty conventional.  If not, and the thing has been properly maintained and adjusted... Well, I'll put my A up against a brand new one any day!

[49410enrique]

hmm it's interestiing, i have either absolutley loved a steinway or just been , meh it's so so. all the 'so so' ones had steinway actions (both new and old). the ones i have been absolutely crazy for all  had renner actions (and in particualr were very finely tuned/accelerated, fastest springiest actin i've ever touched, on an old model b).

just thoguht it was interesting how much variety we have here, some folks dont' care for what i truely love and i don't care much for what others seem to prefer. no big deal, not going to start a pissing match over which is better, blah blah. they are both fine mechanisms. i think it just depends onthe musician.

i agree the sound can be all over the place, you really do need to play lots of them. case in point i have played on lots of steinways, for a very long time. tomorrow i have  performance on an unfamiliar stage on an unfamiliar steinway, i was adamnt and insisted they manage to give me time earlier in the day for me to play it, get a feel for it, see how it sounds, etc. before i actually perform on it formally later that evening.

now if we could stick a kawai milenium action in a steinway, now there's an intersting though (my favorite action of all, well im gaga partial to shigeru's and sometimes the higher end kawai rx so that's part of the equation but rreally those things are the slinkiest fastest most responsive smooth things i have ever touched).

to the OP, you should ask and insist you be allowed a rehearsal in the hall on the performance piano you 'll compete on if that provision can be made. super important

[iansinclair]

to the OP, you should ask and insist you be allowed a rehearsal in the hall on the performance piano you 'll compete on if that provision can be made. super important

I couldn't agree more... !

[clavile]

Hey all, I have a competition coming up soon and we're going to be using Steinways! This is my first time using a Steinway which worries me a lot as I am not exactly that good in having transitions on pianos.

What could you tell me about the touch of the keys, the sound, it's tone, etc. about a Steinway?

p.s I really don't know the model, could be a B or an A, not entirely sure..

Heaven.

[celegorma]

Steinways in general has stiffer keys than say, Yamaha. So there are many people who prefer to stay away from Steinways during competitions because if you are nervous and fingers are tense, its very hard to play it. But because Steinways has such good touch and dynamic contrast, it can usually make a poor pianist sound good. It may help bring out an inner potential of your playing which you have never discovered before.

So in conclusion, the only thing you have to worry about is that if you are not used to the new stiffness of the keys, you may mess up some running passages and tire out quickly. So getting used to it beforehand is beneficial.

[chopin2015]

Hey all, I have a competition coming up soon and we're going to be using Steinways! This is my first time using a Steinway which worries me a lot as I am not exactly that good in having transitions on pianos.

What could you tell me about the touch of the keys, the sound, it's tone, etc. about a Steinway?

p.s I really don't know the model, could be a B or an A, not entirely sure..

I hate their 6ft grands, all of them except the ones before the 1920s with the ivory keys. However, the 9ft grands are nice. Their sound I just do not care for! I like yamaha. But the feel of the new 9ft steinways is perfect. If you have a chance to go to a steinway dealer, they probably have one there.

[iansinclair]

I hate their 6ft grands, all of them except the ones before the 1920s with the ivory keys. However, the 9ft grands are nice. Their sound I just do not care for! I like yamaha. But the feel of the new 9ft steinways is perfect. If you have a chance to go to a steinway dealer, they probably have one there.

Seems to me that that's a bit too general of a hate... although I do agree that the S is a bit lightweight.  The M, L, and O -- all just below 6 feet -- are very fine, with the M the best by a considerable margin.  The A, at 6' 2", is quite different and is often regarded as having the best overall balance over the scale and tone quality of any of the Steinways except possibly the D; this is particularly true of the pre-1910 version.  The B and C are intermediate in size at about 7 feet.  The 9 foot D is nice indeed...