?Although Steinway and Sons is still one of the top pianos in the world, all of the top-selling brands deliver superior products that will all make beautiful music.
The sound of piano strings throughout human history has shaped music as we know it today. The first pianos evolved from the harpsichord and the clavichord, but both instruments lacked any range of expression and emotion until an Italian inventor invented the system of leather-pads to strike the strings in the early 1700’s and added the ability to control the volume, duration and decay of the chosen notes and made the instrument more versatile and expressive. Pianos are now manufactured in a variety of different countries around the world, and today the most popular types are upright pianos, grand pianos, baby grand pianos, and electronic pianos. The advent of standardized parts, pre-assembled components, low-interest installment payment plans and hundreds of online retailers have now made pianos more affordable and available than ever before.
If you already know what type of piano you want to purchase and how much you are willing to spend, the main question left to be answered is which brand of piano to choose? The American firm of Steinway and Sons reduced the cost of the instruments in this country when they began component-oriented assembly processes in the 1800’s, and today Steinway and Sons is one of the leading brands in the world, and many musicians consider its pianos to be the best available. Other leading brands of American made pianos include the Baldwin Company’s instruments, those from Mason & Hamlin and the Charles Walter branded instruments. Baldwin began manufacturing pianos in 1890 and was once the largest manufacturer of pianos in the world and the company still makes great instruments today. The American Mason & Hamlin products also go back to the mid 1800’s, but today the firm only builds about 300 pianos per year. The Charles Walter brand is not as old as the other top American brands, and today the small and exclusive builder creates fewer than 100 pianos per year.
Many great pianos have also been made in Europe for a long time, with the leading brands being Bosendorfer Pianos from Austria, and the German-made instruments from Bechstein, Bluthner, and Schimmel. Bosendorfer is best known for its high-end grand pianos today, while the three older German firms that all began in the mid-1800’s still make a range of different piano styles. The Bluthner brand in particular makes a lot of pianos, producing some 5,000 instruments each year.
The more recent development of quality affordable pianos made in Asia has also had a huge impact on piano sales around the world. Yamaha began producing pianos in Japan back in 1887 and now the company has become the largest overall piano manufacturer in the world. The Kawai Company in Japan is also a favorite brand of piano today and since its origin in 1927, the company has become the second overall largest manufacturer of pianos in the world today. Regardless of the brand of instrument you may choose, it is reassuring to know that all of the top-selling brands deliver superior products that will all make beautiful music.
