Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Is it worth buying a concert grand for home use?

As I go through the selection process, I thought I was pretty much set on a 7' to 7'6" piano for use at home in a piano room I am going to build. My question for any concert grand owners or others is, how much satisfaction is there in going all out and purchasing a 9' concert grand to be used in the home environment? Is it just too big for home use, such that the extra size, depth of sound, and greater lever action via longer key action is worth it? Or is a home environment just too small to extract all these differences that set it apart from a 7'6" model? I have read Piano Buyer's article regarding creation of a suitable room for all piano sizes, and I would adhere to those recommendations, even to accommodate a 9' concert should I even think about it. But I'm just curious, as I may be able to upgrade to a 9' in the future, since a specific dealer is offering full value exchange for the 7'6'' model I am purchasing, should I decide to upgrade to the 9' in the future sometime. Would not want to even consider it and spend the extra money if the general consensus is that you can never really realize the full potential of a concert grand in the typical home environment.

A concert grand might be really loud.
I would try a 7ft one first and upgrade later.

I had a 9' grand in a double height 32' by 19' room. Sounded great, but a few year's later lost my job, had to downsize. It was nowhere near a tier1 piano, so I lost a lot of money. No private buyers, no schools needed a large piano etc. So it went for auction: got less than 10% of the value Steinway UK gave it when it was in storage. (To be fair, Steinway said I would never get their valuation because of it not being a well known make and being so large for domestic use.

So, unless your home has a room approaching that size and you know it will be your forever home, you may either found it too large re sound and/or lose a lot of money if you have to sell. It was nice while it lasted though!

I guess the question is more for you, why do you think a 9' would be better ? Have you found one that you love or is that just a dream to have the big one ?

But what would be the size of the room ? The bass waves need space to develop, so if you squeeze the piano in a room that is too small, you wont benefit much from the size of the piano vs a smaller one. It can still work if you dont play too loud, but i doubt you will use the piano to its full potential. That said i never had both a 9 and 7 side by side in my home to compare.

I would NOT buy an expensive semiconcert grand today because the dealer is offering a down-the-road full trade in for a 9 foot concert grand. I would buy the semiconcert grand today that you love today.

If you play a 9 foot concert grand next week and you fall head over heels for it, then think about how you might make it work.

Bottom line: buy a/the piano you love.

You need to be aware a larger piano does not produce better music if you cannot make it …..

The idiot behind the keyboard is for more important than the label or length of strings.

A well regulated piano perfectly adapted to a pianist will speak to you and your audience.

I rather have such an instrument than something that doesn’t respond to my input.

A 8 - 10 foot piano will need to breath and you as a player will need to accommodate.

I don’t suppose by any chance you also play a pipe organ ?

I can assure you playing in a church with a 3 second echo needs different technique and phrasing.

Nobody needs a concert grand in a private home.

It’s a pure ego trip.

Then again if that’s on your bucket list then go for it.

I did … 3 times

I have tuned 9' grands in home situations. There is never a problem with it being much louder than smaller pianos. The things I would be concerned about are access and longevity. Access, because you will have to get it into any place that you want to put it. It will not bend around corners, and it will not fit into elevators. You have to account for this if there is the possibility that you might ever move to a new location. Concert grands are under much greater stress than smaller grands. String breakage happens sooner.

Incidentally, the sound waves from any piano are the same length for the same note.

I've upgraded from an upright to a concert grand recently, and in fact downsized the room in the process (I changed pianos during a house move).

Buy the superior piano. I would rather have a top quality small grand or upright than a ropey 9' grand.

If you can purchase a tier 1 concert grand then its really about being able to accommodate it practically.

I don't buy the whole 'needs space' argument as my 9' piano in a 16' room isn't overbearing and can be played far more quietly and subtly than the upright which preceded it. If my two year old is sleeping I just keep the lid closed.

One member (can't remember who) has often made the point that 9-footers can often be had for reasonable prices used. He or she may chime in on this thread. That said, seven feet is typically the longest that most players buy. Seven footers can sound awfully good.

This could apply for any grand piano ----- or sometimes - just any piano. The dimensions of the room/space, and the surrounding materials etc - can be considered. For microphone recordings of acoustic pianos - for sampling ----- people even need to set up a room, and put certain materials around the place, and apply various techniques/tricks to get something workable for them.

And if you can afford a 9 foot grand piano, then it also should be possible to also get some digital pianos - to form a collection, so that you can choose whatever you want to play - at various times of the day or night.

The Yamaha SX team said concert grands are for the audience but their pianos are for professional musicians. How many listeners do you plan to accomodate in your new music room?

Yes, meaning that very large pianos can be hard to get rid of.

Well typically the bass presence will be stronger in most cases, which can be an issue with the room acoustic if the room saturates. Of course if one plays quietly then it wont be an issue but then i would question the real benefit. Of course if the OP falls in love with the sound of a particular piano thats different. I have my piano in 1600 square feet and it delivers enough volume.

If they meant that the one must be a professional to deserve or be worthy of an SX or that only pros can benefit from the design of the SX, I think that's a dumb comment and bad business.

If they meant that the one must be a professional to deserve or be worthy of an SX or that only pros can benefit from the design of the SX, I think that's a dumb comment and bad business.[/quote pianoloverus]

I think he said the Yamaha SX team said concert grands are for the audience.Perhaps they are voiced to fill a hall with hundreds of people in them. Also saying that the SX is for proffesional musicians may be just marketing.(meant to impress enthusiasts) Of course they are excellent pianos. Anyone of course can buy any concert grand if they wish, whatever their level of playing.

Yamaha's engineers are not dumb. Their aim for the SX was to make a piano for professional pianists to enjoy in their studio or at home. They seem to have succeeded.

Honestly if you want the concert grand just buy it. It depends on the piano, the room, the technician.

Btw all Yamaha meant by the SX appealing to the professional is that Yamaha believe the SX piano to have a greater range of color in it than the CX series. It doesn’t mean that a professional pianist wouldn’t play well on a CX or an amateur wouldn’t appreciate the SX, it’s simply that often, professionals are more demanding in terms of color palette. This is certainly true of some great pianists like Brendel, Argerich, Schiff, Lang Lang, Wang, Yundi, and many college professors in conservatoires. It doesn’t mean that amateurs are not demanding, since some most definitely are. At least that’s how I read it.

And ----- just have the room environment controlled, so that the humidity and temperature remain relatively stable, and at recommended levels.

If they meant that the one must be a professional to deserve or be worthy of an SX or that only pros can benefit from the design of the SX, I think that's a dumb comment and bad business.[/quote pianoloverus]

I think he said the Yamaha SX team said concert grands are for the audience.Perhaps they are voiced to fill a hall with hundreds of people in them. Also saying that the SX is for proffesional musicians may be just marketing.(meant to impress enthusiasts) Of course they are excellent pianos. Anyone of course can buy any concert grand if they wish, whatever their level of playing.[/quote Withindale]

Yamaha's engineers are not dumb. Their aim for the SX was to make a piano for professional pianists to enjoy in their studio or at home. They seem to have succeeded.[/quote ]

I never said they were dumb and I never implied it.I heard a youtube video from Cunningham Pianos that was posted a while back and yes its a wonderful instrument.I never meant that the SX is a CX piano with a different label or that it is not a great model and as far as I know Marketing is NOT ALL lies and exaggerations.The SX is also bought by non proffesionals, and as we know Sonepica has a SX piano.So are Kawai Shigeru's professional pianos bought by amateurs.

But the piano should not be just for professional pianists and there are other Yamaha pianos a pro could enjoy at home. So saying what you indicated is dumb IMO. Yamaha's engineers may know a lot about building a piano but that doesn't mean their advertising spiels are good/accurate/good business.

There's no reason why a professional pianist couldn't enjoy one of Yamaha's smaller SF models in their home, but saying their goal was to make a piano that professionals could enjoy at home implies the SF doesn't fit the bill. And, of course, plenty of pros enjoy the Yamaha CX models at home.