Upright Piano vs Grand Piano — What's the Difference? | JP Piano Tuning

Whether you're buying your first piano or considering an upgrade, understanding the fundamental differences between upright and grand pianos will help you make the right choice. Here's an honest comparison.

The Basics

An upright piano has its strings running vertically, making it compact enough to sit against a wall. A grand piano has its strings running horizontally, giving it its distinctive wing shape. This difference in string orientation is the root cause of most of the differences in how they sound and feel.

Sound

A grand piano generally produces a richer, more resonant sound than an upright of equivalent quality. The longer strings in a grand piano vibrate more freely and the open soundboard projects sound more effectively into the room. The lid of a grand piano can be raised to direct sound outward, making it ideal for performance spaces.

That said, a high quality upright piano — particularly from makers like Yamaha, Kawai or Bösendorfer — can produce a genuinely beautiful sound that is more than adequate for home use, practice, and even professional recording.

Action and Touch

This is where the difference is most significant for serious players. A grand piano uses a repetition action, which allows notes to repeat without the key returning fully to its resting position. This gives a grand piano considerably more expressive capability and makes fast, repeated passages much easier to execute cleanly.

An upright piano uses a simpler action that requires the key to return further before the note can repeat. High quality modern uprights have significantly improved on this, but a grand piano still has the mechanical advantage for advanced playing.

Size

Upright pianos typically range from around 108cm to 131cm in height. A taller upright generally has longer strings and a better tone than a shorter one.

Grand pianos range from around 150cm (baby grand) to over 270cm (concert grand). A baby grand in a small room can actully sound worse than a quality upright because the strings are too short to resonate properly.

Cost

New upright pianos from reputable makers start at around £3,000–£5,000. A new baby grand from a quality manufacturer starts at around £8,000–£15,000. Concert grands from the leading makers can cost £100,000 or more.

Second hand options exist at every price point, but always have any second hand piano assessed by a qualified technician before purchasing.

Which Should You Choose?

For most homes and most players — including serious students and adult learners — a quality upright piano is the right choice. It takes less space, costs less, and a good upright will serve you well for decades.

A grand piano makes sense if you have the space, the budget, and are at a level of playing where the improved action will genuinely benefit your performance.

Thinking of Buying?

JP Piano Tuning offers pre-purchase assessments on both upright and grand pianos across Northern Ireland and into the Republic. We'll give you an honest assessment before you spend your money.

Call or text 07955 637736 or visit jppianotuning.com.