What is the Best Size Piano for You?

This is an excellent question. Sometimes bigger is not always better when it comes to putting a piano in your home. There are occasions when too big of a piano can cause too much volume yet having a piano that is undersized for the space can create too many demands for the instrument. This video and article will explain how to tell what size piano is right for you and your home.

There are two things involved in selecting the size of your piano: the volume of air in the room and the acoustic properties (or the number of reflective surfaces you have).

The general rule when it comes to pianos is that all things being equal, bigger is better. It’s especially crucial for experienced players to have a large grand to practice on because you will most likely be performing on 7 or 9-foot pianos in performance and it’s always easier to transition to a smaller piano.

In my loft, I practice on a 9-foot concert grand (Baldwin SD-10). There is a lot of volume to the room – the ceilings are very high, and there is a lot of open space – and the acoustics lend very well to a larger piano. However, I used to live in a house and would practice on the same piano – it was in an enormous room and had vaulted ceilings – but when I practiced I would need to wear a pair of earplugs at times because the sound was just too much to handle.

Now on the other side, you can have a piano that is too small for a room. As a result, most players will only play harder to get more sound out of it. Playing too hard on the piano will cause the piano to age prematurely – I have seen this many times before in schools and churches where the piano is undersized for the space.

If you have a small room with very high ceilings – let’s say 20 feet tall – you can have a much larger piano because you have a tremendous amount of air in the room. On the other hand, if you have a larger room with low ceilings, you might need to get a smaller piano.

If you have a room with carpet, drapes, and soft furniture, that will tend to absorb a lot of the sound of the piano. If you have hardwood floors and not much in the room you will have a lot more reflective noise generated.

The best thing to do is stand in the room you plan to put your piano in and clap your hands. See how much sound you get. Sing a little bit – does it seem like your voice is enhanced (like singing in the shower)? If you tend to get more sound by clapping, talking, or singing in your room you have a loud room; you will probably be able to get by with a smaller piano.

Now if you want to have a larger piano and you have a loud room, there are ways to fix this. You can put a rug under your piano and cut down on the sound quite a bit. You will certainly tell the difference in the amount of noise coming out of the instrument. Remember, half the sound of the piano is generated underneath the piano from the soundboard.

Thanks again for watching and reading. Hope you enjoyed this information and please, keep those questions coming!