There are only two main kinds of contemporary pianos
, although both types have different variants.
Grand Pianos
The first type, the grand piano, is made horizontally, with the body of the piano as well as strings fitted on the same horizontal plane of the key board. Grand pianos are designed in a number of sizes with the largest being the concert grand that is nearly a entire ten feet long down to the baby grand which is considerably smaller at just below 5 feet in length. Between the grand and the baby is the parlor or boudoir grand which is a little bit over seven feet in total.
The larger grand and parlor styles employ a correspondingly longer string span which will produce a richer and more robust tone than a baby grand. Likewise, the lengthier stings of a concert grand vibrate more exactly for the note performed than do the smaller and thicker strings of the baby grand.
The action of a grand piano differs from many other models in that it is equipped with a repetition lever for all the eighty-eight keys. When the music being played requires a key be pressed quickly and frequently, this repetition lever stops the hammer near to the strings. This helps the pianist with both command and pace of repetitive notes.
Upright
Upright pianos (also sometimes called vertical pianos) take much less room than any of the grand pianos for the reason that both strings and frame are made vertically. Upright pianos are most often categorized by the height of the cabinet and any required adjustments to the action.
A studio piano is between 45 and 42 inches high. This is the least amount of vertical area which may allow for a full size action mounted above the keys.
A console piano has a modified action with shorter hammers and is a number of inches more compact than the studio.
A spinet piano is made with a top that's just a little taller than the keyboard. In this model, the action is highly modified and is mounted under the key board and manipulated with vertical wires connected to each individual key.
Regardless of the style chosen, when correctly tuned and cared for any kind of piano can supply decades of pleasure to their owners.