Hi all, Entirely from a *commercial* standpoint, I would suggest that the pinnacle of piano evolution (thus far) is represented by the baby grand and even more, the odious spinet. From that point, we have speciated into a new class of pianos, the digitals, that will doubtless undergo an evolution of their own. I'm not suggesting that any of these pianos are actually decent in any way that you and I would recognize. I HATE small pianos. But I'm in a minority. It's the buying public that drives piano evolution, and common folx want smaller and lighter, even at the cost of performance and depth of tone (which I think most people don't appreciate anyway). Of course the relevance of this is that overstringing allows manufacturers to squeeze a larger (longer-stringed) piano into a smaller package, and something like a baby grand or a spinet probably wouldn't even be possible without overstringing. Even making the nose of a 7-footer skinnier makes it easier to arrange furniture! Builders generally allow about 2 ft along the wall for where they think furniture will fit. This defines the ultimate dimension of a piano. The gentle curve on the right side of a grand is put there so that people can get in and out of doorways and snake their way around other pieces of furniture! It's sooo much more practical than the shape of those old squares! (Please note tongue in cheek!) And remember that the baby grand fits beautifully, nose-first, in any corner of the room, taking up no more room than a love seat. I may be wrong, but I doubt ANYONE is going to be able to change this equation for any instrument to be used in people's homes. Why aren't there enormous bulbous, flat-strung concert instruments? I haven't a clue. Perhaps concert-goers would think they look too funny -- not like the long, sleek big cousins of the baby grands in the corners of their living rooms. This entire question should NOT be directed to the design or R&D departments, but rather to the marketing departments. They're the ones in charge, and only they know the answers. We mortals can only guess at their Divine Plan! My guess: If it makes the piano larger, it will be met with resistance. Peace, Sarah
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