This new diminutive model – the baby grand – features a smaller soundboard and shorter strings – everything else remains the same. So, in order to downsize the grand piano, it would have to be the string length and the tail of the piano that could be altered, not the width. More innovation would come with actions and stringing inside the case but the keyboard width itself could not be made smaller and still satisfy the wide musical scope of pianists. The 88-key keyboard had evolved (acoustic pianos with less keys were produced until the 1900’s) and become the standard piano width.
So how do you downsize a grand piano to a “baby” grand? Upright pianos were being used because they didn’t take up a lot of floor space, but many people preferred the look of the three-legged design, if it was only smaller. However, the increasing popularity of the piano in private homes, resulted in the need for a smaller grand piano. In time, larger concert halls and venues required more powerful sound, so the concert grand evolved into 9 and 10-foot pianos for professional solo and orchestral needs. Originally, in sizes ranging from 6 to 8 feet, they were used in salons and house concerts. Grand pianos, the three-legged “horizontally-sitting” stringed instruments were developed 300 years ago, an offshoot of the harpsichord and pianoforte.
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