Pianos come in a variety of sizes, shapes, designs, and styles. There are two basic categories, which are the vertical pianos and the horizontal pianos. Vertical pianos are called vertical because of the position of their strings and their height. The height ranges from 36” to 60” and there are four types of vertical pianos. Horizontal pianos are known as grand pianos, and they are called as such because of the placement of their strings and their height. It is said that these pianos produce finer tones and they have the most responsive
key action compared to the vertical pianos. In this article, I will tell you more about grand pianos and the best names that produce them.
There are six types of grand pianos:
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Petite Grand Piano: This is the smallest type in the grand piano category. The size ranges from 4’5” to 4’10”. Even though it is small, it is also very powerful
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Baby Grand Piano: It comes in sizes from 4’1” to 5’6” and out of all the pianos; this is the most popular type due to its aesthetic value, affordability and sound quality
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Medium Grand Piano: The medium grand piano is slightly larger than the baby grand, and it stands at 5’7”
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Parlor Grand Piano: The sizes come in 5’9” to 6’1” and it is also known as the living room piano
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Semi Concert or Ballroom Grand Piano: The height and length range from 6’2” to 7’ long and it is normally found in ballrooms and concerts
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Concert Grand Piano: Stands 9’ and this is the largest piano from the category. Philharmonic concerts carry this type of piano.
Richard Gertz is the man that designed the Mason & Hamlin pianos, and he was known as one of the world’s leading piano designers between the 19th and 20th centuries. The great piano masters at the Blüthner and Bösendorfer factories trained him in Europe, and he helped to
devise and create modern Steinway grand pianos before he moved forward to design and produce Mason & Hamlin pianos.
It is not a big surprise that the tonal qualities of Mason & Hamlin pianos are comparable to those of pianos by Steinway. Richard Gertz designed the Steinway pianos prior to Mason & Hamlin pianos, which is why it is also not a huge surprise that the pianos from Mason & Hamlin are in more than one ways further advanced and sophisticated than the Steinways. In addition, they are sturdier as well. These days, Mason & Hamlin pianos are handcrafted carefully in Massachusetts to match the highest standards in the musical instrument industry with parts and materials that are equal to the ones found in all the Steinway pianos.
Many years ago, in direct comparisons of the new Mason and Hamlin BB 7’0” and the new Steinway B 6’11” grand pianos, over 250 skilled pianists compared the tonal standards and found them to be similarly preferable. On the other hand, these professionals preferred and recognized the advanced action mechanism that is found in the Mason & Hamlin grand pianos. A few of them preferred the touch of Mason and Hamlins to that of the Steinway pianos.
If you were a loyal fan of a particular brand of grand pianos, would you try a grand piano that is made from another manufacturer?
My 6.2 Mason Hamlin is easily the equal of any Steinway,bosendorfer,or bechstein I have sampled over many years. Touch and tone are delicious and the power is terrific. The only piano I ever liked better was a 7.1 Bose. It was way better. But I’m still in love with my Mason, built in 1901and played every day for the last 27 years. Don’t be fooled by Steinway marketing. The original designer of mh pianos eventually worked for Steinway. He did his best work first.