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I know each piano has it's own merits & faults and feel, tone & sound!
But generally speaking, are certain Piano Brands better for Certain Types/Style of Music?

IE:


CLASSICAL MUSICAL:

MUSICAL THEATER:

NEW AGE:

JAZZ:

That is a generalization that I would not want to make.

I suggest playing some pianos, including brands that you aren’t currently considering. Get a variety of sound and touch into your head. Your decisions based on that experience might really surprise you.

+1

I remember one time someone told me that digital pianos are better for new age.... Well, as someone who plays a lot of music often described as "new age" (Einaudi, George Winston etc.) I could not disagree more!

I do think there's a certain kind of jazz (think, Hiromi Uehara) that sounds really nice on a piano that kind of epitomizes the "Yamaha" bright sound... And of course, honky tonk piano does better on an old beat up upright that's not quite in tune.

Beyond that, I think any good piano can be a suitable instrument for just about any kind of music.

Beyond a certain basic standard, probably well over half the outcome depends on the player.

I’ll bite. I assume this is “for fun” and not to decide your own piano purchase. (If you are familiar with Regular Car Reviews on YouTube, you’ll appreciate this a lot more.)

Keep in mind that this is generalizing, but since you asked...

Yamaha is popular in teaching studios because consistency among them is supposed to be good.

Yamaha seems popular among pop and rock artists and recording studios because they are easier to cut though a mix.

Kawai used to be chosen over Yamaha for classical music, but we know the reality is complete bs.

Kawai is the home piano teacher’s piano.

Mason & Hamlin is the piano for people who love the golden age of pianos and is a historical piano nerd.

Fazioli is supposed to be a piano for baroque and classical music, but I know a rock pianist who uses one in his recording studio.

Jazz musicians are supposed to love Fazioli as of late.

Hobbyists love inexpensive stencil grands.

Wealthy people love Steinway grands in their houses, even if they don’t know how to play.

Wealthy hobbyists who play very well love the hypercar class of pianos like C.Bechstein.

But it’s all hogwash entirely and based on stereotypes that I’ve seen over the past twenty years or so. Ignore all of.

I’ll duck and cover now while people take this too seriously and aim their angry replies at me. Or maybe people will totally agree on a superficial level.

Of all the ‘I just bought a new piano posts’ here, I’ve never seen one post where a happy new owner posts:

‘I’m so in love with my new piano but it’s a shame I won’t be able to play xxx music on it.’

That’s really funny. I see that on guitar forms daily, though.

Indeed, yes. Approach, i.e., articulation and pedaling, for example, will help determine the sound that is produced and will help distinguish Bach from Chopin on the same piano.

Regards,

+1

I did, however, sell my Petrof 46" studio upright because, though well pleased with it initially, after a while I thought it a bit too mellow for most of the kind of music I play. But it still sounded very good, and lovely. A wonderful piano.

I honestly think it depends on the individual piano, and not a particular brand.

Rick

Based on the above, the piano definitely inspires what I play and want to study. My abrasive, bright Walter has filled my need for modern, abrasive music. Location matters, too. Having my Walter tucked away in the basement studio has allowed me to be more comfortable playing music that the rest of the family finds obnoxious.

When the Seiler arrives, that all could change. It’s a very different piano and will be located in the heart of the house. I’m already thinking Schubert and Chopin to please my new family audience when I play. I haven’t touched music from the canon in ten years! (With very few exceptions, of course.)

Thanks Rich

Exactly! this is for a sort of 'fun for thought'

If you review the list of Steinway artists it represents pretty much everything I play or would want to play.

Why shouldn't we take this seriously?
You speak the truth.

All - I saw a YouTube of a Classical Pianist - choosing a Steinway Concert Grand at the Steinway Factory, for her Mozart piece, and she was saying "This one would be good for Bach" and "This would be good for a Chopin" etc etc etc
and then it got me thinking and I wanted to see everyone's thoughts, if there were certain Piano Brands that sounded/felt better for certain styles of music, that's all!

Hence my original post!
brdwyguy
JDM

You're referring to Tiffany Poon who was testing all Steinways in the Queens factory. Good video, she's one lucky, hard working girl. I guess it all relates, if I'm not mistaken, to the individual piano's tone and string resonance and the like. In that sense, it's not necessarily brand related. As already stated though, Yamaha is definitely quite versatile, used equally in classical as it is in rock, jazz, etc.

I’d be curious of the responses if you asked the same question on the non-classical forum. My uneducated guess is there would be gravitation to one or two brands as being best for jazz.

As if there’s only one way of playing each composer.
I saw a video featuring András Schiff once demonstrate a couple of pieces in different pianos to bring out how the same Mozart sonata lends itself to different instruments.