Differences between piano and grand piano

All grand pianos are also pianos

So far you have probably assumed that a piano is the small keyboard instrument on the wall and grand piano is the large one that stands free in the room. You hardly knew any other differences. In reality, piano is a generic term for instruments in which a key moves a hammer that strikes a string. In contrast to a harpsichord, in which the sides are plucked, and an organ, in which the tones are produced by pipes.

• The grand piano is also called a large piano and has the typical shape of an animal wing, what many call a piano, a pianino, also called a small piano.
• All pianos, i.e. pianinos and grand pianos, consist of a case, a soundboard and a sound post. A metal plate into which vertebrae are screwed is screwed onto this. The sides are wound onto these pegs, and the instrument is tuned by turning the pegs.
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• the mechanics All pianos consist of the keys, various springs, and hammers that strike the strings when you press the keys.
• The usual keyboard consists of 88 keys. In addition, these instruments have 2 or 3 pedals. The right pedal makes pianos louder and the left pedal quieter. In the case of a grand piano, the timbre also changes, but not in the case of a pianino. Now you know the first, albeit very subtle, difference between the instruments. Incidentally, the strings on both instruments sound longer when you step on this pedal. For example, the middle pedal allows you to mute only different keys.


How is the piano built?

How the piano is built is basically an old tradition that almost ...

Differences between the instruments

So now you already know that the large, wing-shaped instruments are also pianos and that the smaller instruments are actually called pianinos. One of the differences has already been mentioned, namely that you can use the left pedal to change the tone color of the grand piano. Other differences are:

• The shape of the pianino is not only suitable for being placed on the wall. The soundboard is vertical, so the sound is emitted forwards and backwards. If the piano is against the wall, the sound is radiated from the wall into the room. So you should always place these pianos against a wall, even if you had space to display it freely in the room.
• The grand piano has a vertical sound floor, so the sound is radiated to the floor and reflected there. If the lid is closed, the sound is attenuated; if it is open, the sound is emitted directly into the room. So if you have space and want a piano to stand free in the room, then choose a grand piano.
• The grand piano has a very simple and straightforward mechanism to strike the keys, when you press a key a hammer hits the strings from below. The buttons are small rockers, i. that is, when you press the buttons, the other end moves up. On the grand piano, this upward movement moves the hammer from bottom to top on the strings. With the pianino, the movement is converted into a vertical movement because the strings are vertical. If you are a skilled player, you can strike the strings of a grand piano more sensitively than those of a pianino. You can also strike repetitions of notes on the grand piano more quickly than on the piano, because the hammer falls back more quickly due to the force of gravity on the grand piano.

Summary of the differences between the pianos

• The wing has a shape that is reminiscent of a bird's wing, the pianino is box-shaped.
• You can use the left pedal to change the tone of the grand piano, but not the other pianos.
• A pianino should be placed against a wall, a grand piano in the room. Thus, at concerts, the pianist at the piano would ideally sit with his back to the audience, the grand piano is always on the right angle to the audience. Pay attention to it at concerts. The pianist never sits facing the audience.
• The keys of the grand piano are suitable for a more differentiated strike of the strings than those of the pianino, you can strike a note on the grand piano more quickly one after the other.

Important: Both instruments are pianos. The grand piano is a special design of the piano. The pianino is something like a special small design of pianos that makes it possible to accommodate pianos even in small rooms. These are the main differences between the keyboard instruments.