In the mid to late 19th century we got an iteration of the piano that would soon become only an interesting footnote in its eventual development; the square grand piano. They are sometimes referred to as “coffin pianos” because when they are closed they look like a coffin. These pianos are certainly distinct in their appearance but technically they are inferior instruments.
Instead of aligning the strings with the keys – like a traditional piano – they are perpendicular. This means that the keys on one end of the keyboard are much longer than the keys on the other end of the keyboard. The part of the keys that are longer and shorter are behind the fallboard, not the part you see unless you remove the action – otherwise it appears as a normal keyboard to the player.
Here is an example of an action from a square grand piano:
Because of this design choice, these actions were notoriously difficult to regulate with any kind of consistency. Only a skilled technician who is used to working with these type of actions can get them regulated properly. Yet, even then they don’t respond as well as modern piano actions.
These instruments fell out of favor and the design was abandoned. They were not known to be particularly good instruments and they had problematic actions. However, the designs of the cases are particularly elegant and many of them have ornate carvings. These instruments are much better suited to a museum than in the home of a serious pianist.
I welcome everyone’s comments and would love to hear your opinion of square grand pianos. Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729
You may have heard of a square grand piano, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t. Square grand pianos are an interesting side note in the development of the piano. They have a unique design that looks like a coffin when closed. But are
This is a very interesting topic and one that is relevant to the reality of modern day piano building. There was a time when piano actions were made entirely of wood parts but with advances in technology come newer and cheaper alternatives. Today we
I highly encourage everyone to watch the accompanying video with this article. It provides excellent visual representations of the Neapolitan 6th chord as well as a demonstration of how it can be utilized in your music. Neapolitan 6th might sound lik
First, why is it important to be able to establish the key? If you have a room full of people and you want to sing a song together, you must all start on the same note or you will have chaos! If you have ever sung Happy Birthday with a crowd of peopl
I consider myself very lucky to have grown up in a musical household. Not only were both my parents musicians, they were teachers as well. This ended up being a very positive environment for me. What about households where a parent might not know muc
You’ve probably heard the term “Concert Grand Piano” many times in the past and you might have wondered if there is something fundamentally different about a piano that would classify it as a “concert grand” instead of just a regular grand.
Over the years I’ve made a lot of videos about pianos and practicing piano. Today I’m going to provide a concise list of some areas to focus on during your development as a pianist and give some examples of past lessons you can refer to. 1. Memor
What techniques can you use in your practice of this work and other pieces of Beethoven?
You should practice in chords whenever possible. Learning to play your music in chords can be very beneficial. This aids in a number of ways. First, by reducing the music to chords, you will understand the harmonies. More than that, you will discover fingerings that accommodate the notes well. It also makes it easier to learn.
It’s important to bring out the melody which is typically in the right hand. One technique for achieving this is to play the accompanying parts staccato with a light wrist when the texture allows for it.
Another important aspect of practicing effectively is to work out your trills. It isn’t important to play a large number of notes. It is essential that you work out exactly the number of notes you can play with confidence. This will result in a musical execution.
Beethoven didn’t write out many of the dynamics in this piece. However, many editions offer suggestions for expression. For example, you can start this piece forte. In different editions of the piece, people will suggest certain dynamics and while no version is necessarily better than others, you should find something to create contrasts with the music to keep the performance compelling.
Obviously, these are not the only aspects to learning this piece or any work of Beethoven. But they will provide a good foundation for progressing through the music to bring it to a higher level.
Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729
This is a great piece of music for students to learn. It is not a simple piece of music by any means, but it’s one of the easiest Beethoven Sonatas to learn and it is a substantial work. It’s interesting to know that the Op. 49 sonatas were compo
I just recently received this question from a viewer and I thought it would be a good thing to address. If you play piano – or other polyphonic instruments – you probably have seen these before: If you’re a singer or you play the flute, clarine