Baby Grand Piano Dimensions
Why do people love baby grand pianos?
When we think of the grand piano we have an image of this gleaming instrument that dominates the space. Beautiful and powerful as it may be it comes in size variations that are suitable for many different spaces and don’t require a separate ballroom or a stage. Enter baby grand piano. And while ‘baby’ makes it sound like ‘mini-me’ type of ‘twin’ sidekick it is anything but. People love their baby grand pianos not only for the beauty of the grand piano shape and grace it lends to any room it is in but also for the superior sound it delivers. The key element to consider here are baby grand piano dimensions. There are quite a few options in this category so you can optimize your space.
Superior Sound and Action
The reason being is that the horizontally resonating soundboard of the baby grand piano still produces a richer, more over-tone-laden sound than that of most uprights. Those are simply the physics of sound production. While upright pianos of today are infinitely superior to their older siblings and in particular circumstances are a perfect choice the grand piano will always sound better. Period. If there is to be one reason – this is the one. There is also an issue with a keyboard action mechanism that strikes the key and transfers the velocity and energy from the pianist‘s finger to that key and subsequently to the string. In the upright piano, the action is perpendicular to the key – in other words the energy of the key strike is bent about 90 degrees before the hammer strikes the string. The escapement of the hammer to its original position is aided by jacks and springs on the upright action while on any grand piano this is the function of gravity. That naturally affects the sound that the instrument produces and its action‘s ability for fast repetition. Therefore knowing the exact piano dimensions enables you to make an informed decision.
Another aspect to consider is the resonance. The upright piano has the most resonance in the back, which is its soundboard. Typically upright pianos are standing against the wall wherefore the sound remains “in the box” of the upright‘s body, its resonance being blocked by the wall. Conversely, grand piano dimensions result in the soundboard ( the “bottom” of your grand piano‘s body) resonating above, below, and laterally with no obstruction resulting in richer, fuller, and more resonant sound.
So if your space dimensions allow for a grand or a baby grand and the sound of the piano is an important factor your only right choice is to go with a grand or a baby grand. Given the variety of piano sizes available today you are guaranteed to find the perfect fit. However, if the choice is purely aesthetic and the look of the upright piano is what you are looking for then there are some truly remarkable and beautiful upright pianos made today from completely transparent made by Bluthner Lucid to the minimalist ones made by Sauter with unique butterfly lids.
How to measure a grand piano?
A grand piano is to be measured from the keys to the very back, a so-called tail of the piano.
One has to make sure to use a firm measure device and keep it absolutely straight running lengthwise all the way to the end of the piano rim at the peak of the tail. That will be your exact length dimension.
The width of the piano almost never fluctuates – though some larger concert grand pianos have slightly thinker rims and larger frames to accommodate the weight and strength distribution. The main sizing parameter of the grand pianos and baby grand pianos is the length that determines each category to which any given piano belongs. It is safe to say that your baby grand piano dimensions are the ratio of length+width+height, the length being the most varied factor.
Baby Grand Dimensions:
Length: Baby grand pianos begin at 4’11 in length to 5’11.
Width: 5 feet.
Note: as the width of the piano is predetermined by its 88 keys of the standard piano keyboard most of the baby grands’ to concert grands’ widths will be essentially the same. The exception is extra wide keyboards (Bosendorfer Imperial) which expand the width of the piano to 5.9 to accommodate for extra keys at the base. Also worth remembering that the largest concert grand pianos will have a little thicker body to support the frame and therefore may be somewhat wider than the standard 5 feet of the standard 88 keys keyboard.
What is the smallest baby grand piano?
So running with the idea of ‘mini-me’ there is a grand piano baby category. This micro grand baby piano starts at as small as 4’5″ to about 4’10″ feet long. Bear in mind that in this category the piano is shorter than it is wide as the keyboard remains at standard 88 keys. While the horizontal action and soundboard still are attributes of these mini baby grand pianos the hammers have to be shorter to scale down the proportions of the instrument and at those sizes, the distance the hammer travels to the string is, in fact, shorter than that of the upright piano. The mini grand piano dimensions still represent the aesthetic of the baby grand piano but placement will have to be very wise to optically make up for the disproportion of the width to length ratio. If the size of your piano is determined by your space very strictly and you are adamant about having a micro baby grand versus an upright then we would suggest choosing the largest size possible within this category. If your home permits we recommend getting the baby grand of at least 5 feet which will create a dimensional square between the length and the width and is the best option in that size. But if at all possible the mid-5-feet length is ideal for the baby grand piano to truly justify its name and provide a compact experience of excellent sound and visual grace.
How much does a baby grand piano weigh
The average baby grand piano will weigh about 600-700 pounds. The micro baby grands weigh in at approximately 500-660 pounds. Much depends on the materials such as the type of wood used, hardware, and the use of acrylic. There will be an insignificant fluctuation of weight between different piano brands but it should not be substantial. Not all pianos are made exactly the same way so different sizes will not always affect the weight of the piano accordingly. For instance, designer pianos that have acrylic elements will weigh more. Certain alloys have different weight properties hence the fancy designer baby grands may end up with different weight parameters than the average.
What is the size difference between a baby grand and a grand piano?
Ordinarily, grand pianos are 6’ to about 7’ feet long while baby grand pianos are 4’11 to 5’11 feet long.
Since different manufacturers craft unique pianos sometimes there are a few inches give-and-take based on specific dimensions of a specific piano. Concert grand pianos are made as large as 10 feet long – and with that length, the dimensions of the body, rim, and frame are adjusted accordingly to allow for the most advantageous resonance and design.
The larger the grand piano is the longer are the keys. Keys are in essence leavers and longer keys allow for finer, more nuanced control of the touch and the double escapement action, which is the reason concert grands always feel and sound better than smaller pianos. In the final analysis, the piano grand will be better than the upright, and the larger the piano baby grand is the better the sound. Read more about grand piano vs baby grand piano in our detailed review.
We hope this article is helpful to you. If you have any further questions or would like guidance in your piano selection our dedicated team is here to help and make this the most enjoyable and exciting experience for you.
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December 21, 2020 @ 09:35
What is the depth of a baby grand piano?
December 27, 2020 @ 16:05
Depth (or what we call the length) is between 4’11” and 5’11”.
March 26, 2021 @ 09:54
What is the thickness of a baby grand minus the feet?
March 26, 2021 @ 20:19
Hello Philip,
It is around 15 inches or 38cm.
February 21, 2023 @ 06:06
What is the dimension of the baby grand piano legs and the estimated weight for it?