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

1. Genuinely curious, how much louder is a 9' concert grand, compared to another large grand, say a 7'6?

2. I've heard (and experienced) that concert grands can be played extremely quietly and delicately, with superb control over dynamics. Given that many, smaller grands CAN already be played loud enough to overpower any home room they're in, does it really matter how loud a concert grand CAN be? Isn't it more important that it can give you whatever level of dynamics you ask of it?

No worries. I’m rocking a 230cm one in a 1,500 square foot house. And despite SouthPark wanting me to feel guilty about it, I don’t.

What you wrote has nothing to do with whether the piano is 9' or 7'.

Well it’s good to be called on my BS anyway. Concert grand at home? More power to ya! I’d totally rock that piano in that space.

No, I don’t feel guilty about environmental stuff either, generally speaking. I am more likely to feel guilty for making a decision that hindered me in some way.

For my current space, concert grand wouldn’t work (I don’t think). Gombessa makes good points about the concert grand piano too.

It applies to either one. It relates to the title ("Is it worth buying a concert grand for home use?")

I’d have considered a used/retired C&A D, but it would have made coming through the front door a challenge… am already using some plastic air vent diverters on the floor vents, as it is now, to keep air from blowing directly on the piano.

I would argue a good concert grand can be rebuilt over and over again, and passed down or donated to a community, in contrast to a consumer or economy grade (baby) grand, where it might not even be economical for an owner to ask their technician to spend 2 days fully regulating and voicing their piano, which is often recommended after 6-10 years of use. Concert grands can be louder, but only if you choose to play them louder, and they will still produce a nice sound when they are played louder. Properly regulated and voiced, they are absolutely sublime. Depending on the tonal philosophy of the brand, the bass could be so clear and with less inharmonicity, that you can play chords (vs just octaves) all the way down. To answer the poster's original question, between an SK7 and SK-EX, there is a huge price jump, so maybe it's not worth it, but comparing pre-owned concert grands versus pre-owned semi-concert grands, I would definitely get the concert grand. As mentioned before, with the longer key lengths, again if properly regulated and voiced, you can get a much greater range control over the dynamics, even without the 4th pedal.

Concert grand pianos in the home are a massive pain in the rear. They are expensive to purchase, maintain and insure. They are a huge pain, cost and emotional mess to move. They completely restrict your choice of housing due to their size, movability and potential for noise. They don't do well on stairs. I urge you to think carefully.

That all said, we have had a nine footer since 1996 when we lived in a tiny apartment. Only one neighbor complained there but he was dreadful and home all day, screaming outside about the noise. We moved that piano around the US (six homes) and to Australia and Latin America.

In 2018 we added a second nine footer so now we have one in the living room and a second in the music room. We can never move again but spouse is making noises about moving. Nightmare.