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I am thinking about getting a 7' piano but am concerned it might be too big for my living room. My only concerns are acoustic (I have very little furniture in the room). The living room is 12' by 19' with 8' ceilings. It opens onto a small dining area that is 7' by 9'. There is no wall between living room and dining room (together they form an L-shaped area). The living room has thin wall to wall carpet. I would be playing the piano almost exclusively with the lid down, perhaps very occasionally with the lid half way up. Do you think the piano could be inappropriate for the space it will be in? Can all pianos be voiced down to a level appropriate for this space without destroying the tone?
Thank you for your help!


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Posts: 16 | From: | Registered: May 2001 | IP: Logged



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A teacher of mine had a second-hand concert grand in a relatively modest home living room. Everybody who visited said that the piano was painfully loud. Eventually, this teacher traded the concert grand in on a new Steinway B. Better, but still too loud. The lid was kept up, and the piano was placed parallel to a very large picture window with minimal curtains.

I think the piano would have been OK with heavy curtains on the window, the lid down part of the time, and a tad of voicing (which I think has been done since my contact with the piano). This teacher primarily taught at a university that had heavy acoustic tiling in the studios with 7' pianos. So, she probably wanted a more ringing sound at home.

[ July 24, 2001: Message edited by: MacDuff ]

pianoloverus,

I have a 7' piano in a small living room and have no problem at all. The important thing is to have the piano voiced properly and you'll be fine. As you said, you always have the option to close the lid, but I really don't think you'll need to--some of the time anyway.

As far as pianos are concerned, bigger is better---don't let that scare you. I've heard (and played) 9' Steinway D's in smallish living rooms (voiced nicely) that were perfect. They looked a bit large, but the sound...

Go for it!!!
Mat D.

Aren't Steinway Ds said to fall into three categories (by their innate tonal quality and voicing capability): "orchestra," "recital/concerto," and "chamber?"

The orchestra piano has alot of raw power and volume, but not as much "finesse." So, it good for sitting in the back of an orchestra and playing piano parts within an orchestral score.

The solo/concerto instrument is ideal for solo recitals and concerto playing in front of an orchestra. It has great projection and clarity of tone, and dynamic range.

The chamber piano has a mellow, warm tone that sounds good in intimate surroundings, but does not project. Best for small halls, homes, chamber music concerts.

I play a 7' heintzman and I have it in a relatively small room... probably quite close to your room size, and i've never had a problem even with the lid up, my concern would be the lack of any furnishings which may create more echo or reverberation than you want...but that easily fixed...
interesting note....the lowest string on a piano which plays if i remember correctly at 18.5 hz. generates a sound wave 30' in diameter.... so technically in order to maximize the acoustic possibilities of your piano to the utmost you'd need a room at least 30' by 30' just to fully generate the sound wave...

really you shouldn't have any problems though