Grand & Baby Grand Pianos

The inventor of the piano, Bartolomo Cristofori, designed his original instruments after the harpsichord, which uses a horizontal soundboard to hold the strings. The grand piano also uses a horizontal soundboard that strings vibrate against. The sound of a grand piano is made by hammers that strike the strings. Beginning in about 1750, both English and German piano makers made innovations to the piano to increase its volume and improve its tone. By the early 1800s, the basis for the modern grand piano was established.

Grand pianos are differentiated by the length of the soundboard. A piano with a soundboard over 7 feet in length is referred to as a concert grand piano. Pianos with soundboards between 6 and 7 feet are called grand pianos, with different classes based on piano style. Pianos with horizontal soundboards less than 6 feet long are called baby grand pianos. The tone of concert grand pianos is considered to be superior to grand and baby grand pianos, as the length of the soundboard allows for more variation and flexibility in tone as the instrument is played.

The value of a vintage grand piano is less dependent on age and more dependent on the type of piano, the manufacturer, and the condition of the instrument. Pianos contain 11,000 different parts and are very complicated instruments, so collectors should seek the help of an appraiser.

Quick Facts

• Pianos with shorter soundboards have poorer tone, according to most musicians. For the sound of a baby grand piano to be better than an upright piano, it must be a minimum length of 4 feet 10 inches
• An Erard Louis XVI-style concert grand piano with gold trim and ormolu accents from 1876 sold for $175,000
• The most expensive grand piano in the world is the Crystal Piano, played by Chinese pianist Lang Lang during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The piano was sold at auction for $3.22 million