Types of Grand Piano

The manner in which grand pianos are constructed is, in principle, the same as an upright, but the size (length) varies considerably.

There are essentially 3 main classes, generally referred to as `Baby'; `Boudoir' & `Concert'. The smallest Baby grand can be just 4ft long (122cm), whereas the longest Concert grand measures 9ft 6in (290cm). The overall length is determined from the front of the keybed to the far curve.

BABY Grands are generally described as being 5ft (152cm) and under. (A near-5ft piano is sometimes called a `Large baby').

A 3ft10in Monington & Weston 6 Octave Baby Grand in a mahogany case

The rear view of a 7ft4in Bechstein model C Grand in an ebonised case

BOUDOIR Grands tend to range from 5ft (152cm) up to around 7ft (214cm).

CONCERT Grands are usually around 9ft long, and the c.7ft 6in grand is sometimes called `3/4 grand', or `Semi-concert' or even `Drawing-room', though the latter term is rarely used today.

In terms of tone-quality, the longer the strings, the superior & richer the tone, which is why the finest pianos are always concert grands. Baby grands can often have an inferior tone & touch (even compared to uprights!), because the strings are so short & tubby.

There is sometimes doubt about what constitutes a `Baby', `Boudoir' or `Concert' grand, so the safest way is to describe each grand piano by its overall length, or by its model - i.e. "A 5ft 6in Broadwood Grand" or "A Steinway Model B Grand".

Actions

Actions in grand pianos are nearly always defined as `Roller' (the most sophisticated and responsive type of action), though baby grands often have `Simplex' (spring & loop), as they are more compact - and invariably inferior.

Julius Bluthner invented the `Bluthner patent' action; not a `roller' or `spring & loop', but probably the only other type of action that provides a comparable quality of repetition to a roller (when correctly regulated).

Standard Roller action

'Bluthner Patent' action

Stringing

This is almost always overstrung, though a limited number of early (pre-1890s) grands were made with straight-strung frames.

Width

This does not vary much as the number of notes (85 or 88) remains constant at around 60in(152cm). The exceptions are some baby grands with less than 7 octaves, or some instruments with a larger number of octaves, such as the respected Bosendorfer `Imperial' 9ft 6in concert grand.

Conclusion

Grand pianos much less than 5ft long suffer from loss of tone quality due to short strings, though a small grand made by one of the better-known makers can be a worthy instrument, if it is built with a `roller' action. As with upright pianos, the larger the instrument, the better the tone.