Grand Rental Piano Sizes

I began playing the piano when I was four-years old.  Like most pianists, I started on an upright piano – a player piano, to be exact – in my Nana’s living room.  I loved playing from the start but like many children, I didn’t give a thought to the type of piano I was playing.  One piano seemed like all the rest to me.  Over time, I began to give pianos a bit more of my attention.  By playing pianos at different concert venues, schools, and pianos in friends’ living rooms, I realized the sound quality of a piano varied from instrument to instrument. Nothing was more satisfying than playing a Concert Grand Piano.  

The first time I played a Concert Grand, I knew I had to have one.  The problem was the size of the instrument, and the size of the price tag.  After my piano teacher’s initial reaction to my pleas for a Concert Grand Piano wore off, she began to instruct me in the different sizes of Grand Pianos. She pointed out that a Grand Rental was more realistic than a Grand Purchase. It turned out there are four different types of Grand Pianos:

• Concert Grands – the largest of the Grand family, usually measuring about 9′ in length. These usually make their homes in auditoriums and concert halls.
• Parlor Grands –  At about 7′ in length, these are in the mid-size of the Grand Piano family.  They’re most commonly used for concerts and in recording studios.
• Baby Grands – These are the smallest of the Grand Pianos – usually less than 6′ in length.  They can fit more easily in a private home living room and are often purchased as much for their impressive appearance as they are for their quality of tone.
• Square Grands – This is actually more of a musical relic from the 19th century.  Their short strings resulted in poor sound quality. They’re used more as collector’s items than for their performance value. The wood work is often gorgeous, which makes them a nice aesthetic addition.