What is an Upright Grand Piano?

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You may have heard this term before and might be familiar with the concept of an upright grand. At first it might sound like an oxymoron, but the term actually makes a lot of sense once you learn exactly what it means.

So what is an upright grand? Is it an upright piano or a grand piano?

The short answer is that it’s an upright piano. However, it’s not just any upright piano. At the turn of the 20th century, countless American piano companies manufactured very tall upright pianos. These instruments offered the sound of a grand piano because of the long strings and large soundboard area. They coined the term upright grand to describe these type of instruments.

There was a time when these full size upright pianos were extremely popular. They could fit into the smaller homes of that time without compromising sound. Many of them had ornate wood with intricate carvings like this Schubert Upright Grand we currently have. It was common for these instruments to have player systems as well – the original home entertainment center!

Are these pianos as good as grand pianos? I suggest watching another video Uprights Vs. Grand Pianos to get a better idea of the differences between the two styles of pianos.

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