The invention of the piano lead to the development of different structures in the instrument. The piano is primarily classified into three different types. They are:
- Grand Piano.
- Upright Piano.
- Digital or Electronic Piano.
The structure of the Piano gets changed into different forms, but the pleasant sound remains the same. Though the pianos are mainly divided into three types, they are further sub-divided into different varieties.
Grand Piano:
Grand pianos are the largest type of pianos, which looks majestic as well as very expensive. The grand pianos are characterized by horizontal sound boards, which sometimes stretch up to 4 feet (Front to back). The sound board is encased in a supportable opening platform that lifts upward on the right. Dampers lie on the top of the strings, adjacent to the hammers (also horizontal). The internal construction is braced with form-holders, usually made of wood, as well as the small metal equipped reinforcements. The casing is essentially "bottomless", allowing one to see the sound board support base, also of reinforced wood, which technically acts as the base. Keys consist of wood coated with ivory, or sometimes pure ivory, depending on the piano's manufacturers and classification. The grand piano has the standard 88 keys. Most of these pianos have sheet music stands. A retractable cover slides over, or folds down on the keys.
Grand Piano
Upright Piano:
Uprights are the most common type of acoustic piano and are a popular addition to a living room or parlor. The upright piano has been a favorite because it costs less, is more compact and offers a warm sound. The soundboard is vertical, with strings that stretch downward and horizontal hammers and dampers. The hammer strike horizontally and are returned to resting position by springs, taking slightly longer than a grand piano's hammers (which are vertical and returned by the gravity). The support base of the sound board is visible on the backside, as well as wooden reinforcements. Uprights usually costs less, depending on the model; however some can exceed grands in total value. Although uprights often get depicted as inferior to the grand pianos, a five-foot upright cn rival a typical grand piano in terms of tone quality and loudness. Like the grand , upright pianos vary in material construction.
Digital Piano (or) Electronic Piano:
The digital Pianos are suitable for beginners or moving performers. Electric pianos are usually the most affordable and although they do not have the qualities of an acoustic, sound continues to improve for the high-end and mid-range instruments. They vary greatly in quality, some have hollow keys, while others try to replicate the feel and weight of the acoustic keyboards. In addition to the features of an acoustic piano, electronic pianos have a variety of sounds and settings such as organ, guitar, string, choir and percussion. The numerous sounds on some keyboards make it virtually a portable band. Other pianos have limited functions , but this is better for someone who is trying to replicate an acoustic and save money. True electric pianos (compare to the plain keyboards) have a professional appearance and good materials (most consist largely of plastic), as well as touch sensitive features and sometimes equipped frames. Most have connectors for pedals and computer interactive abilities. They never need to be tuned and rapidly becoming more popular in modern bands. The electronic piano also has the advantage of allowing the user to practice silently with headphones at times when doing so would otherwise disturb people. The few drawbacks include technological infancy and the requirement of a power supply.
Detailed Classification:
Based on the style of pianos, they are further classified into branches.
Horizontal Pianos: (Grands)
Petite Grand:
This is the smallest of all horizontal pianos, with a length up to 4'10". Despite its size, it is capable of playing strong notes like any other pianos.
Baby Grand:
This is very popular for apartments. Its slightly larger than petite grands, with lengths up to 5'6". These come with very good finishes (woods), have excellent sound quality and are affordable too as compared to the bigger grand pianos.
Medium Grand:
These pianos are larger than baby grands and are suitable for larger rooms, where the acoustics suits the range of that type of pianos. They are usually up to the length of 5'6"-6'6". They can also be moved from one room to another with little amount of effort.
Living room / Parlor Grand:
These are larger than medium grand and comes in the length of 7'-7'6". They are a bit expensive, but not up to the level of concert grands. They require large rooms for their best suit. They are not easily movable pianos. This type of pianos will be useful to sit and play a pleasent music inside our large rooms daily.
Ballroom / Semi-concert Grand:
This kind of pianos are around 7' long and are very useful for the professional purpose such as dances, musical events, live performances. They produce very high quality sound and are expensive because of its high quality design.
Concert Grand:
Concert grands are the biggest and extremely high quality pianos preferred by professional pianists and are above 9' long. This can be utilized by who regularly performs in large concert halls. They are highly expensive and cannot be shifted unless planned with large manpower. It requires large place because of its giant appearance. These pianos produce the pure high quality acoustic piano sound because of its high quality materials used in its manufacturing process.
Vertical Pianos: (Upright)
Spinet:
This is the smallest type of vertical piano. When space becomes an issue, spinet is a good solution. It has less accuracy and power because of its small sized strings. The height will be 36"-40", with a width of around 57". The action mechanism is kept below the keys.
Console:
These types of pianos are larger than spinets with the height of 40"-44" and width of around 58". They are available in various styles. They can be bought to finish the look of a room. The sound quality will be comparatively better. The direction of action differs between spinet and console. Here the action mechanism is kept above the keys. This enables clear range of tones.
Studio:
These are a famous type of piano found mostly in studios and musical colleges. They are with the height of 43"-47" and are larger than spinets and consoles. They are more durable because of their direct blow action mechanism, which rests behind the keys due to the larger strings and sound boards. The sound quality is almost as good as baby Grand.
Upright:
The largest variety of the vertical pianos. This was popular in earlier times with great sound quality. They are highly expensive. Their height will be 47"-60".
Electronic Piano:
Though the vertical and horizontal pianos played popular role in the earlier eras, the rise of digital electronic pianos with sample notes technology made the things easier and reached various people in the modern days. Many cost efficient digital Pianos with in-build speakers made many people to touch the keys. They do not have any metal strings. Their maintenance also became much easier for the users. They can be used for any types of music such as rock, jazz or pop and that don't need to be re-tuned as any other stringed instruments.
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