Upright pianos are likely the type you envision when you think of your school classes in the music and drama hall, or the ones humbly and neatly tucked away in the corner of the home. It is one of four categories of vertical pianos which include upright piano, studio piano, console piano and spinet piano.
The upright piano is a timeless piece that dates to the 1800’s and takes up much less floor space than a grand piano – but how did they come about and what else do we know about them?
Who invented the upright piano?
Let’s start with a little history… If we look back at where the piano has been inspired and derived from - briefly! - we can see how the design has developed from the meditative sounds of a monochord (instrument played with fingertips to the strings) which led to the addition of Clavis (keys) to bring us the clavicytherium (which were also played by fingertips to create tones).
In the 15th century the clavicytherium eventually led to the Clavichord with additional strings and pins attached to the keys allowing for pressure to vibrate the strings.
In 1720 we come to a gentleman, Bartolomeo Cristofori, who had felt the need for an instrument that would allow the player to alter the loudness by varying the strength with which the keys were struck – he is known as the ‘inventor’ of the first successful hammer-action pianoforte – the piano – and the harpsichord design inspiration can be seen in the layout of this instrument which remained relatively unchanged for the following 75 years with nothing comparable to the reliability and sensitivity of the sound.
In 1760, Johannes Zumpe introduced the square piano to England which were smaller and more compact. In time, the position of the hammer action to improve the sound changed to move horizontally and reverted to their initial position with the use of springs. The square pianos remained popular. By the 1800’s a few manufacturers had introduced upright pianos. It was an Italian engineer - Domenico Del Mela - who had the design of vertical strings and could be considered as the inventor of the upright piano, however these instruments were extremely tall with the strings starting at the height of the keys and were actually known as Giraffenflügel. From here, John Hawkins – an inventor - stepped in to partake in the development of the upright piano by simply starting the strings from the floor of the instrument, leading to a shorter stature. Furthermore, Hawkins added a suspended soundboard and frame thus creating an acceptably sounding instrument in a more compact form.
The upright pianos evolution did not stop there, however. As the 19th century continued a gentleman called Robert Wornum added the ‘tape-check’ action which improved sound quality by the addition of new mechanisms including a spring which allowed the hammer to return to its resting position without relying on the weight of the keys and thus creating the modern-day design of the upright piano.
Who can be named as the true inventor? A group effort of time and passion has brought the beautiful sounds and tones of the upright piano to our modern-day world.
What is an upright piano?
The upright piano has come a long way in its evolution. The original pianoforte was much inspired from a harpsichord, and this can be seen somewhat in its shape. The original layout meant that the design had strings that run horizontally towards the keys and suspended on a table-like model, to be known as a Grand Piano.
The evolution of the upright piano likely came from the need of taking up less space in a room. It has a soundboard and a plane of strings that run vertically to the keyboard – and thanks to John Hawkins the strings start from the ground up as opposed to starting from the keys up – much more convenient and space saving!
How does an upright piano work?
With a vertical soundboard and strings, the upright piano still needed to meet the original and beloved sounds of its grand piano predecessor. It had a long way to come! An upright piano has thousands of parts that are brought together to work in harmony and create the beautiful tone intended from its evolution over the years.
Of the many parts of the upright piano, we can start with lid of the piano known as the top board. This can be opened to allow greater sound projection for pianists who can choose to play with the lid open to help the sound fill the room. It also gives access to the inside.
The keys, much like on other piano designs, are fastened to strings so that when pressure is applied, it causes them to vibrate. Often mistaken to just be the length found on the exterior of the instrument of around 6 inches, many upright pianos can have keys that are around 15 to 16 inches allowing for more expression and sensitivity when played. The strings are attached to tuning pins where the tension can be tweaked to reverberate the correct frequencies. The wood type hammers covered in felt reside inside the instrument and are the mechanisms that strike the string to cause the vibrations leading to soft sound. Pedals on upright pianos each have their own purpose with some having two pedals and some with three. The left pedal (soft pedal) allows all the hammers inside the piano – supported by the hammer rail - to move closer to the strings thus quieting the sounds. The middle pedal drops felt between the hammer and the strings reducing sound greatly, even to silence and is known as the muffler. The right pedal when pressed sustains the notes when played even when the fingers are lifted from the keys and is encouraged to be used. To convey the sound between strings and soundboard, the treble bridge transfers the vibrations from the top sixty-one keys to be amplified by the soundboard to create air movement and thus produce the music, similarly this happens with the lower twenty-seven keys by the bass bridge.
The piano action is the area made up of many parts working together to create the intensity the performer strikes the key at. It could be misconceived that the Grand piano has a more complicated piano action than the upright piano due to size, however because the strings are transposed vertically within an upright piano, the piano action is actually more complicated. They truly are works of art.
What are the dimensions of an upright piano
The upright piano is a popular choice in homes, venues, schools, and community centres as generally they are less expensive than grand pianos and are also much more compact. Their vertical appearance, size and shapes allows more floor space than the grand piano – which were and are more likely found in ballrooms (and do look like magnificent artworks). The size and shape of an upright piano is a large contribution to their popularity, but the size can still somewhat vary. The upright piano height is usually between 50 – 60 inches (127 – 152cm). The other vertical piano categories include Studio piano (45 – 49 inches / 114 – 124cm), Spinet piano (36 – 39 inches / 91 – 99cm) and Console Piano (40 – 44 inches / 102 – 112cm).
How much does an upright piano weigh?
The upright piano may be smaller in stature than the grand piano but that doesn’t mean it is much lighter! The average upright piano will still require around four people to move it safely without harm as they can still weigh in between 500lbs and 800lbs (227 – 363kg). If piano transportation or removal is something you need then please visit our website for more details.
How long is an upright piano?
The upright piano tends to have a width of 58 inches (147cm) to have room for all the 88 keys.
How tall is an upright piano?
The dimensions can change according to model and manufacturer and the standard dimensions tend to differ and can be 40 – 60 inches (102 – 152cm) in height and 24 inches (61cm) in depth, depending on the type of upright piano that is being measured.
How many keys on a standard upright piano?
The upright piano tends to have a width of 58 inches (147cm) to have room for the 88 keys. The treble bridge connects to the top sixty-one keys and the bass bridge is connected to the remaining twenty-seven lower keys. On the exterior of the instrument the keys are visibly around 6 inches (15cm) in length, but their full length can be 15 to 16 inches (38 – 41cm).
How much does a good upright piano cost?
One of the benefits of the upright piano is not only the more compact space saving aspect but also the financial saving you can make in comparison to a grand piano as generally they are more cost effective, making them ideal for private and home use. An upright piano can be priced anywhere from £500 and up to £40,000. This range is a guide, and some can be found for less and for more.
There really is a vast range when it comes to pricing and costing for an upright piano, and it may be further down the line in your learning that you then start to invest in an instrument that is going to meet your experience as you progress.
The upright piano choice is extensive and there really are many options to meet different budgets and preferences. We have numerous new and second-hand upright pianos available on our site and in our showrooms, as well as digital upright pianos which may be more suited to a beginner.
