?Pianos sold today are categorized as either vertical pianos or horizontal pianos, with the tiny spinet piano being the smallest and the full concert grand pianos being the largest.
Although the piano may appear to be available in many different styles, designs, shapes, sizes and price ranges, there are just two basic designs that currently dominate the world marketplace. Almost every piano in the world today can be categorized as either a vertical piano or a horizontal piano.
Vertical pianos, also known as “uprights” are the most common type of piano most people own due to their relative affordability and compact size. Because the soundboard on a vertical piano is actually vertically upright in position, the strings and dampers reach downward, allowing four basic compact designs that usually range from 36 to 60 inches in total height.
The smallest vertical pianos are the spinets, and they are popular for people without a lot of space because they are usually only about three feet tall and five feet wide. The only drawback to owning a spinet is that they are not as loud or rich sounding as a larger instrument might be. The slightly larger console types of pianos are usually about 42 inches tall and just over four feet wide. Consoles are similar to spinets, but deliver “bigger” sounding tones. Vertical pianos of the studio variety have larger soundboards and longer strings than spinets or consoles and are still abut the same size but are taller at around 48 inches to accommodate the larger components. The largest and loudest of the vertical type pianos are the upright models that used to be very common around the turn of the century in America due to their rich, loud tones and smaller size compared to horizontal models. Uprights are tall though, and most are around five feet tall, yet are still the same width as most other vertical types at about 48 inches wide.
The horizontal type pianos are commonly referred to as grand pianos, and are obviously much larger than vertical models. Grand pianos are usually the most expensive type of pianos due to the fact that they employ massive horizontal soundboards that can be up to four feet long from front to back. Grand pianos all have 88 keys and they are the type used by orchestras, and feature sheet music platforms along with retractable covers for the keys. Grand pianos are said to produce finer tones and have the most responsive key actions. Because grand pianos are thought to produce better tones and have the most responsive playing actions, they are usually the first choice of professional musicians.
Grand pianos.come in six different varieties, with the smallest being the petite grand type that is about four and a half feet in length. Next up in size are the baby grand models that deliver great sound in a package that ranges from five feet to five and a half feet long. Medium grand pianos are slightly larger and can be just under six feet long, while parlor grand pianos, also called “living room grand pianos” can be slightly over 6 feet long. The next largest size is the ballroom grand piano type, which can be up to seven feet long. At the top of the heap are the full concert grand pianos that are between eight and nine feet long and are the type you’ll often see used by orchestras or famous pianists.
