----- Original Message ----- From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: September 05, 2003 2:06 AM Subject: Re: Nordiska > > Regarding the horse and water thing, if they seem interested, I will sometimes go a little further and suggest that for a given amount of funds available for a piano, it is sometimes advantageous to aim a notch lower in quality and get the 5' 10" piano rather than the slightly better quality 4' 11" job. Definitely a trade-off here, and the decision would not be clear-cut, but definitely something to consider. > > I've serviced and listened to a few Samick and Hyundai, etc. six-foot pianos that at least sounded more-or-less like a piano. But I have yet to hear ANY five-foot-ish pie-anner that sounded more piano-like than spinet-like. For the most part, of course, this is true. I have found it some puzzling, over the years, why folks continue to buy small grand pianos. Or very small verticals, for that. They have been denigrated by technicians and "real" musicians for decades. To most the tonal sacrifices are obvious. So obvious, in fact I sometimes wonder if the manufacturer hasn't screwed up the design to deliberately make them sound worse than necessary. But it does not have to be. What is the difference, really, between a 150 cm grand and a 180 cm grand. In terms of scaling, not all that much. Both will start out (at C-88) about the same. At F-33 the 180 cm piano will have the option of being slightly longer, but not enough to significantly affect tone quality or volume. As well, to that point soundboard area and function will be at least similar. The bass/tenor crossover might be a bit higher in the short piano, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is not until you get down to the mid- to low-bass that any significant differences start to show up. The small grand will have to give up either low bass power or tone quality. The usual (and wrong) choice is to give up tone quality. Small grand pianos can -- and should -- be made to be quite musical. To do otherwise is easier, to be sure, and is just one more example of the cynicism the much of this industry has toward its marketplace. Ask Susan Kline about the small grand -- does shorter than 4' 7" qualify as small? -- used as a demo piano at my presentation to Oregon Day several years back. Del
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