It’s been months since you’ve started having piano lessons and now you feel like you are ready to take the next step. And what might that be? Buy a piano, of course.

photo credit: doll damned

Before you go out to buy yourself a piano, you should bear in mind that there are three different types of pianos. Each of these has its own characteristics that can be compatible with the pianist in you.

Grand

One of the very popular piano types, the grand is usually seen accompanying recording artists such as Alicia Keys, Sir Elton John, and Vanessa Carlton. This piano is also called as the horizontal piano due to its length and placement of the strings inside making it great for use of expert piano players.

There are six sub types of the grand piano and these are:

Petite grand- the main reason for its name lies on the fact that this piano only measures about 4 feet and 10 inches. Despite this, the petite grand still gives a powerful sound.

Baby grand- measuring at about 4 feet and 10 inches to a few inches above 5 feet, the baby grand is one of the most popular pianos around. There are three reasons for its popularity and these are great sound quality, nice to look at, and affordable price.

Medium grand- simply put, this piano type is just one inch bigger than the baby grand. In fact, it is mistaken for the baby grand most of the time.

Parlor grand- also known as the living room piano, the parlor grand measures at about 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet and an inch. Because of its size, it is often seen in living rooms and parlors, hence, the name.

Semiconcert grand- suffice it to say, this piano is approximately 7 feet long.

Concert grand- this is the biggest subtype of the grand pianos. It measures at 9 feet making it the number 1 choice in concerts, hence, the name.

Upright

Classified as a vertical piano because of the position of its strings, the upright piano stands at around 50 to 60 inches and with a width of around 58 inches. With these measurements, this type of piano is the tallest.

Considered as a rival of the grand piano, the upright is usually seen as inferior by some who do not know a lot about it. This piano is made of the same great quality wood as the grand piano, costs less compared to the grand, and produces a high quality sound that can be compared to the grand piano. Another good thing about this is that it can be played by experts and beginners alike.

Electric

If you are a beginner or a performer, the electric piano is the one for you. It is the cheapest type and can produce sound of other instruments such as oboe and guitar. You can also record what you have played and play it back later.

Taking all these into consideration, which of the three piano types do you think is for you?