{"id":16601,"date":"2024-02-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=16601"},"modified":"2024-02-29T10:23:03","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T18:23:03","slug":"upright-vs-grand-piano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/upright-vs-grand-piano\/","title":{"rendered":"Upright vs Grand Piano: Differences Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Upright vs grand piano: what\u2019s the difference? Is one always better than the other, and how? Do you need a grand piano to become a better piano player? We\u2019ll explain everything you need to know in this post!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#upright-vs-grand-piano-action\">Upright vs Grand Piano: Action<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#other-differences-between-grand-and-upright-pianos\">Other Differences Between Grand and Upright Pianos<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#upright-vs-grand-piano-does-it-matter\">Upright vs Grand Piano: Does It Matter?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#alternatives-to-grand-pianos\">Alternatives to Grand Pianos<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#who-needs-a-grand-piano\">Who needs a grand piano?<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Get exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"upright-vs-grand-piano-action\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Upright vs Grand Piano: Action<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Upright and grand pianos are similar in the sense that they are both acoustic instruments made up of mechanical parts that do similar things. In a nutshell, this is how an acoustic piano\u2014grand OR upright\u2014works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The pianist presses a key<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The key activates a hammer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The hammer strikes a string<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The string vibrates, creating sound<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The sound is amplified by the piano\u2019s wooden soundboard<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>This cascade of events is called <strong>action<\/strong>. You can read a more detailed explanation of how this works in our article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-pianos-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Pianos Work<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where grand and upright pianos differ is how hammers return to rest. In a grand piano, strings are laid horizontally. The hammer goes up, strikes a string, and comes back down thanks to gravity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Upright vs Grand Piano Action: Videos by Yamaha<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Grand Piano Action<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u3010\u30d4\u30a2\u30ce\u3011\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u30e9\u30a4\u30c8\u3068\u30b0\u30e9\u30f3\u30c9\u306e\u9055\u3044\uff1a\u30b0\u30e9\u30f3\u30c9\u30d4\u30a2\u30ce\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IpBpUI_iZJg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Upright Piano Action<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u3010\u30d4\u30a2\u30ce\u3011\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u30e9\u30a4\u30c8\u3068\u30b0\u30e9\u30f3\u30c9\u306e\u9055\u3044\uff1a\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u30e9\u30a4\u30c8\u30d4\u30a2\u30ce\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2BO0CnwVNfA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In an upright piano, the strings are laid vertically. Without gravity, upright pianos require a spring mechanism to return a hammer to rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A grand piano\u2019s action is often deemed superior because, thanks to gravity, hammers return to rest faster. This enables faster repetition of notes on a grand piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"other-differences-between-grand-and-upright-pianos\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Other Differences Between Grand and Upright Pianos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Action is the main difference between grand and upright pianos, but there are a few other subtle differences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Soundboard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/d\/db\/SoundboardBracesRibs.jpg\" alt=\"Ribbed piano soundboard.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Most soundboards are made from spruce.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Grand pianos typically have a larger soundboard than an upright. This means grand pianos sound louder and richer. This isn\u2019t universal, however. Some baby grands have smaller soundboards than top-of-the-line uprights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pedals\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Middle Pedals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/17164845\/piano-pedals-labelled-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Three piano pedals labelled (left to right) una corda, sostenuto, damper\/sustain.\" class=\"wp-image-14623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/17164845\/piano-pedals-labelled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/17164845\/piano-pedals-labelled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/17164845\/piano-pedals-labelled-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/17164845\/piano-pedals-labelled-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/17164845\/piano-pedals-labelled-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Grand pianos typically have a <strong>sostenuto pedal <\/strong>as their middle pedal. Meanwhile, the middle pedal of an upright piano is usually a <strong>practice pedal.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sostenuto pedal is like a selective sustain pedal because it isolates and sustains specific notes. However, this effect is very rare; it&#8217;s generally only found in some modern classical pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The practice pedal activates a piece of cloth between the hammers and strings of an upright piano. This is handy, allowing students to practice at all hours of the night without disturbing their housemates and neighbors!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"una-corda-pedal\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Una Corda Pedal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Both uprights and grands have an <strong>una corda<\/strong> pedal as their left-most pedal. In a grand, pressing the una corda shifts the hammers to the right so that they hit one string instead of the usual two or three. In an upright piano, the una corda moves the hammers closer to the strings. In both cases, playing with the una corda pedal creates a softer, more rounded tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-piano-pedals-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Piano Pedals Work<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"upright-vs-grand-piano-does-it-matter\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Upright vs Grand Piano: Does It Matter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So the question remains: are grand pianos better than uprights? They tend to be much more expensive and take up a lot more space, so this is a good question!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether a grand piano is better than an upright also depends on the specific grand and upright. A concert grand from a world-class brand like Steinway, Bechstein, Yamaha, or Kawai will most definitely be a superb instrument. But a baby grand from a less reputable brand may not be much better than an upright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"alternatives-to-grand-pianos\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Alternatives to Grand Pianos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, grand pianos <em>are <\/em>better than uprights. But owning one is not always necessary. Piano makers recognize that grands are expensive and take up space, so they\u2019ve created alternatives that deliver a similar experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Vertical grands&#8221; and &#8220;upright grands.&#8221; <\/strong>Upright pianos like the Yamaha YUS-5 have larger soundboards than some grand pianos and a sostenuto pedal. This gives piano players a similar experience to a traditional grand without the price tag or space required.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca.yamaha.com\/en\/files\/up_product_yus5_po-ebo_0a0e21f93bd50d68a33a46cd4a7d13a6.jpg?impolicy=resize&amp;imwid=2000&amp;imhei=2000\" alt=\"Large black upright piano with fallboard separate from music stand.\" style=\"width:534px;height:534px\" width=\"534\" height=\"534\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Yamaha YUS5 (Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/ca.yamaha.com\/en\/products\/musical_instruments\/pianos\/upright_pianos\/yus_series\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yamaha<\/a>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Hybrid pianos.<\/strong> These include the Yamaha AvantGrand series and the Kawai Novus series. They use a real grand piano action, but instead of hammers hitting strings, the hammers hit a sensor which delivers sound through a speaker. This lets players have the best of both worlds: an acoustic feel plus digital features!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Kawai-NV10S-Hybrid-Piano.jpg\" alt=\"Black hybrid piano: looks like the front of a grand piano without the back.\" style=\"width:560px;height:560px\" width=\"560\" height=\"560\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kawai NV10S (Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/kawaius.com\/product\/novus-nv10s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kawai<\/a>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"who-needs-a-grand-piano\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Who needs a grand piano?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, grand pianos <em>do <\/em>deliver a superior ability to play nuanced, expressive music. They\u2019re best for very serious piano players, classical musicians, and jazz musicians who require a sophisticated tone. Touring pianists who are given a grand piano in concert halls also benefit from owning a grand piano so they can practice on something as close to their performance instrument as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grand pianos are less necessary for casual players and pop musicians. There was a time when acoustic pianos were way superior to digital keyboards, but today\u2019s digital piano technology has come a long way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a piano student, having a digital piano from a reputable brand like Roland or Yamaha should be more than sufficient! Just make sure your piano is full-size with 88 keys and has weighted and graded action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"buying-a-piano\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Buying a piano?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re in the market for a new piano, here\u2019s one very simple rule of thumb: <strong>play the piano before you buy it!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, playing piano is a subjective experience. Choose an instrument that feels good under your fingers, that expresses <em>you<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The piano you prefer may not be the fanciest, most expensive, biggest instrument. But if it<em> feels <\/em>right, it\u2019s the instrument for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More resources about pianos as instruments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-buy-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Buy a Piano: The Ultimate Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/keyboard-vs-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Keyboard vs Piano: What&#8217;s the difference?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/cost-of-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What is the cost of a piano? (Acoustic &amp; Digital)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-brands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Most Popular Piano Brands<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>Master the Piano YOUR Way \ud83d\udd25<\/b><\/h3><p>As a Pianote+ Member, you\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists and learn whenever you  want, wherever you want, and whatever you want.<\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Upright vs grand piano: is one always better than the other? Not necessarily! Learn more about the difference and whether one is right for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":16606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1132],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16601"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16662,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16601\/revisions\/16662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}