Piano Volume, was: To Yamaha, or Steinway... that is the question !

[Farrell]

Directly related to this question is something that I am not clear on. Piano volume and its relation to piano size.

It would seem to me that because soundboard area and string length of, let's say, middle C on up, is pretty much the same on all pianos - or at least from perhaps C5 and up (am I right on this?) - volume as a function of piano size should be about the same on all pianos for the top half or so of the keyboard (I realize maybe longer keys or bigger hammers on a bigger piano might affect volume a bit). One always wants a somewhat balanced tone/volume across the keyboard, so you don't really want overwhelming bass volume - you can have rich bass, but you don't want it to drown out the treble. So it would seem we are left with all non-defective pianos being in the same volume ballpark.

So what is all this talk about a 9-footer being overkill - I'm assuming overkill = volume (not picking on you Richard, your post just jogged this little cloud out of a closet in my mind).

I just haven't had the opportunity to compare lots of big and small pianos in the same setting. But I know for a fact that I have tuned many Baldwin Acrosonic spinets that are louder (and not horribly unpleasant) than a pretty fair number of 6 to 7-foot grand pianos.

So please, educate me. Anyone?

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: "PTG" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 3:29 PM
Subject: To Yamaha, or Steinway... that is the question !


> Our University is trying to decide what to do with a big wad of brand
> new money they've just got their hands on, and are debating whether or
> not to buy a brand new CF III or a Hamburg "C". Its to go in a small
> concert hall, and a "D" is considered overkill, yet there is desire for
> the full length strings a 9 footer provides.
> 
> Interesting to hear the back and forths from the point of view of the
> different faculty members. We have two professors who are clearly Yamaha
> fans, especially one of them is very into Yamaha pianos. The other
> fellow likes them for their recording characteristics. And we have 3
> professors who simply say Steinway. Steinways sound best, Steinways are
> what you meet in the concert halls, Steinways are the Mercedes,
> Bosendorfers the Ferrari, and Yamahas the Celica GT. 
> 
> But here's one I havent heard before,,,, but kind of rings a bell.
> Yamahas are heavy to the touch, not so much out and out heavy, but you
> cant get that power without wearing out your hands. 
> 
> Given Ron N's advice last time I mentioned my Yamaha C6 problem along
> these lines, and the recent discussion about action compliance.... I am
> simply going to have to set off time to look very closely in this
> direction on that instrument, along with a C7 we have with a similiar
> feel to it.
> 
> They both feel like they've a bedding problem they dont have. Might be
> time to try out Johns top plates eh ??
> 
> Cheers
> 
> RicB
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Richard Brekne
> RPT, N.P.T.F.
> UiB, Bergen, Norway
> mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
> http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html
> http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html
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