I got it right because of the sound in the bass register, however! Choosing between the two was immensely more difficult than I thought it would be. That upright piano had a tremendous tone.
OMG. I am a beginner at the age of 70. I could not tell the difference at all! Even with expensive headphones. I got them wrong. I so much enjoy your videos. They are always informative, interesting and I enjoy your enthusiasm and sense of humor. And of course your incredible playing too. John Stangl
@ John Stangl: starting to play the piano 🎹at 70? Good for you! Don't give up no matter what anybody says about your piano playing. Read my comment above. Good luck👍😁
Hello Sir! I tried to get my 2 kids involved in piano 5 years and signed them up for classes when we moved to Mexico...they lasted about 2 months before they quit. I had signed up for classes at the same time....to follow along and help in their classes. 5 years later I still am attending weekly classes and practicing every day. I am also 70; so "my old comrade in arms"...keep practicing, enjoy the beautiful experience of playing music. Michael.
@@gokupikachu4207 digital pianos have come a long way... I've seen pianists struggle to differentiate them from acoustics, mostly when hearing recordings.
That has to be one of the best uprights I have ever heard lol. They always sound like apartment toys made for ragtime party music but this upright was actually rich and didn’t have such a percussive toy sound. Awesome video!
That bright tinny upright piano sound comes from being out of tune, and often from worn out hammers. When one is well taken care of, it can usually sound more like a grand.
Amazing. Haven't heard a good upright like that in many years. Great teaching aid for us sound engineers. To get a good recording of piano is challenging, & that was beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
I've only been playing piano for 2 years and mine is a digital Suzuki baby grand. I was able to distinguish the rich vibrations of the grand piano. It's beautiful sound moving in the air. Thank you for your videos. I've learned at lot even though I'm still a "newbie" at piano.
I got this right but not because of the sound but because I think you chose a piece that highlights one of the limitations of an upright. Uprights have a harder time with quick note repetitions, even if only two in a row. The first piano's repetitions were sharp, quick, and strong whereas the 2nd was not.
I can always tell. The grand pianos always sound less bright than an upright. It's hard to describe without knowing the correct terminology. But I can always always tell. Even before hearing the other I was confident. I would love a grand piano but I prefer the sound of an upright.
Why ? Just curious. I don’t know much about music just curious about the concept behind it.aren’t the more expensive piano able to reach to a wider range of notes ?
I was right yet again! The grand piano sounded richer, more lively and loud, where the upright sounded a little compressed and not able to sing like the grand. Both are indeed wonderful pianos though!
Yes, I could tell the grand had a wider dynamic range and sounded more open. But having said that the upright sounded really good . Question then: On a limited budget would I be better buying a lower end grand or a better quality upright?
As long as reliability and durability is roughly the same between instruments, I would say that the best buy is the one that inspires you to play and practice. Even brand name can be an important factor here. For example, say that you spend 5000 dollars extra on an instrument that performs roughly the same as another cheaper alternative, but the more expensive piano inspires you more to play due to whatever factor (looks, heritage, brand name), maybe those 5000 dollars are worth it?
Are you buying new piano or used piano? Listen to your heart and hands on them to see which one you like and do consider the space limitation (my house does have this problem that's why I'm constricted to upright...) and bring a technician to check for you if you're buying a used piano. A really bad low end grand piano might makes you refrain from wanting to play it -.- especially it is sounding too bad and the piano keys touching and the overall feeling you don't really like it... where as high quality upright could be an inspiration to you wanting to play even more! Of course you might found cheap old vintage used grand piano that is in really good condition to play, not necessary it is low quality. I have heard one online demostration video of Kawai 600 grand piano recently, which is built around 1960s to 1970s and is currently in sale for around USD 5400 in my country (Malaysia) and to my surprise it's quite old but still sounding so great =O
@@JoanKSX I love your country...I have visited Kl and Penang many many times...I haven’t been there this year due to COVID...take care and enjoy it for me
I like the upright one, its tone resolution is clear and its bass note at the end was impressive and feeling of rich or fabulous. But my question is: did you removed the front panel of the upright piano while playing? where did you put the mic in both cases?
The mics were about 8 feet from both pianos. On the grand, the mics were opposite the open lid of the piano near the tail. On the upright, the mics were behind the piano.
I got this one right. I was trying to listen for which one had more weight/power from the hammers and more reverb in the strings (both characteristics that seemed more like a grand). This was tough though.. I actually had them switched before i listened to them both again and solidified my answers. I've been a pianist my whole life but never a piano expert, so these listening tests are very interesting!
Hello Robert. Really enjoyed this epic'ness! : same position, same recording equipment; sublime! I did myself a favour and closed my eyes from the beginning, (before you began running the recordings). I was correct! None-the-less I welcomed the challenge. Whatever we play on, that's the best. I even enjoy playing piano's that are out of tune!! But a great instrument, is a joy.
I remember versus between Steinway and another Chinese brand. So, many people and I failed because those audio recordings had taken in different places. In this video, the audio had recorded in the same room with the same microphones. I got it right this time. For me, the grand piano's sound feels like much gorgeous and meaty. One day I will buy the grand piano of my life.
I got it wrong! The upright sounded magnificent, great resonance and the only thing that made me doubt it was a grand was the bass notes tone, but it wasn't enough doubt to make me guess the right answer!
I could tell the difference, because the Grand piano has a much fuller, richer sound. Since the upright is more limited in it's space to run the strings, certain tones fall short of the Grand. While different, I'm certainly impressed with just how good the upright sounded. Well done!
I loved the tone of the first piano more than the second and had hoped it was the upright! Now I know I have to change my piano. Thanks for the very helpful video.
Tremendous test! I have an SF10 and after your playing I was darned if I could positively identify the 7 footer! I've got a tremendous amount of respect for Baldwin as a piano maker and you've proven to me, they make superb musical instruments (or at least did at the time these two very different pianos were made). Thank you
YeeHa! Got it right. One for two. Got the last test wrong. Both of these Baldwin sounded very warm. You always have such great videos for us, Maestro. Mil gracias, Danke, Merci, Thanx🌹🌹🌹😎
I got it right but expected more of a sound difference, I was impressed with the upright. Some uprights sound great...I hear so many users in TH-cam videos where they aren’t in tune and it just drives me crazy. If an upright has a good scale design (long enough strings with no false beating) and quality hammers that are well voiced you can be surprised by the solid bell like tone you can get out of an upright...this proves it.
I guessed right once I heard the second one. It’s hard to describe but I could hear more of a difference in the higher notes than in the lower bass notes. Great piece and playing on both though.
This was fun! I did get it right, and (as Adam Norell said), it was because of the sound of the bass register. I was confident of my choice, yet prepared to be blown away, had you said it was the reverse. The upright does have beautiful tone, but the depth of the bass notes resonating in the considerably larger instrument was telling.
Great video! I got it right (it was a guesstimate TBH!), Piano No.2 had more attack and I could hear the hammers hitting the strings a lot more. Also Piano No.1sounded 'fuller' and more reverberant (is that even a word?!?!) Was that the piano or was the grand recorded in a different room? Great video, thanks for posting
I got it right. This one was a lot more clear cut than the Steinway vs Chinese piano test - I play an upright at home and recognised the 'upright' sound immediately in the 2nd recording.
It definitely surprised me. The difference wasn't as obvious as I thought it would be. Still, you can hear the reverberation in the wood on some of the middle notes on the upright, and that's what gave it away for me.
Ar first I wasn't sure. I was committed to not picking until I heard both. However, when I heard some of the low-end, especially the last chord, I just couldn't imagine the "openness" of sound (i.e. not coming out of a box), and the bass, I was sure that the first must be the grand. Of course, the first few notes of #2 confirmed it for me. Although it was beautiful, it just sounded a little "thinner" and less rich. There was slightly less bass, or it felt boxed in. All that said, I braced myself to find out that somehow I was wrong. Great video.
Another 70 year old beginner with failing hearing. Convinced that the first was the grand until I listened to the second which I then thought had to be the grand because of the louder and richer sound. I have an upright and dreamt of getting a grand if I improved sufficiently. You may have shaved me a fortune. Thanks. A great challenge. More similar tests would help confirm judgment.
I put a 7’ Seiler grand next to the 1912 Willis upright on the stage of Edgewater Hall and a London Coserrvatory-trained pianist organized a round-robin where 7 of the regions pianists played the same Chopin Noctune on one then, at the sound of a bell, the next. I sure got to appreciate the Willis a lot more! The old buggy still had it!
They both sounded good. I was able to tell the difference because of the lower register. Smoother sound with the grand vs the studio. As far as the middle and upper end, they sounded close. Thanks for this comparison.
Ok you want to compare pianos? Compare an Anton Petrof 136 upright piano to a 6 foot grand piano... Steinway, and you'll be surprised which one definitely sounds better. I have heard many Steinways at the Conservatorium which were not on par with some great uprights I have played. A very good quality full size upright will ALWAYS outmatch any baby grand and perhaps a parlor grand if it's really good. Even on rare occasions on action responsiveness!
When I heard the first, my thought was, "Well, that certainly is not a Steinway or a Yamaha so it must be the upright." Then, the second started and I laughed. Clearly, the second was the upright. I applaud you for choosing the same manufacturer, same studio, mics, piece, etc. But, one was 10 years older than the other:) Pianos are like violins, vocalists, or guitars - each one is unique.
I got it right. I liked the first piano right away and thought to myself, "wow, if an upright can do this, then it must be amazing. " When the second started, it was clear right away that the first was the grand. For me, the grand had a depth and richness the upright couldn't replicate. It felt as if notes played on the upright were only audible or vibrant for certain high-pitched notes, but the grand can sustain all notes.
Upright versus Grand is not just about sound It is about he mechanics Hammers fall sideways in the upright and down in the grand Piano Also you are comparing pianos that I assume have mics at the same distance or right placement A grand piano will have a "bigger" sound range against an orchestra since the sound is projected towards the audience in a different manner Also a grand piano has a more beautiful aesthetic look than most upright pianos If the pianos are well tuned and well maintained the sound will be good either in way Did the rooms during the recordings have the same accoustics and were the microphones placed at the same range of strings?
I figured the first one was the grand ... but what actually gave it away for me was not the bass (nor, as I've seen in a comment or two here or pianoworld, the treble). For me it was the low / mid tenor section. For whatever reason, I can often (although maybe not necessarily always) tell, or at least make a fairly good guess, as to what notes use plain steel strings, vs. which ones use wound strings, or in some cases where the bass/tenor (physical crossover) break is. Interesting thing about the Baldwin SF-10 - it has wound strings going higher than I normally would expect to see on a 7-foot grand - highest wound string is C#3. On this particular Hamilton the highest wound string note is D3. A few times in the recordings D3 (plain strings on SF-10, wound on this Hamilton) was played - at 1:48, 2:18, 2:50 on the grand, and 3:19, 3:54 (this one especially stood out to me) on the upright. Baldwin Hamiltons are among my favorite upright pianos, especially the older ones, for their sound. I remember hearing tapes from a church camp over Labor Day weekend in 1986 (when I was 5), and also 1988, and later got the 1987 and 1985 tapes from the same church camp, and absolutely LOVED the sound of that piano! Then in my teens and 20s, I had opportunities to play various Baldwin Hamiltons from around the 1950s, and they had a very similar sound, so I often wonder if the piano used at that church camp might have been a Hamilton. (But then it could have been something else - sometimes it sounds like the plain strings extend down to like B2 or A#2, or in a couple songs I hear C#3 have a very similar sound to the older Hamiltons that had that note as the first plain-steel trichord immediately above the break.) I currently own two Hamiltons - one from 1950 (#144211), and the other from 1956 (#167714), also there's one at my church (we haven't been there in about a year due to Covid, and the last time I tuned it was I think around September 2014 so it definitely needs it) from 1951 (#148947). My older Hamilton actually has plain steel trichords all the way down to the break, making C#3 the first note with 3 plain steel strings. The cabinet is also a bit narrower, and the design of the plate means the lowest bass strings are a few inches shorter, so its bass is a bit lacking compared to newer Hamiltons, not helped by the piano being 71 years old this year. I learned recently from a 2-3 year old online post that Baldwin stamped manufacture dates on their actions, so I pulled my 1950 Hamilton apart to investigate, and saw 7-28-50 penciled on one of the action rails, in the treble section above where the dampers stop. (I haven't done this with my '56 Hamilton yet, I have some other projects I'm working on and there's a bunch of stuff piled on the piano right now.) Also on my Hamiltons, as well as the church piano, the top lid opens separately from the front, like a traditional piano, with spring clips to hold the lid shut. (The "propstick cabinet" as I often call it started I think around 1963 or so.) BTW looking under "Hamilton" in the Pierce Piano Atlas for the serial number of the piano in the video here, tells me this Hamilton was actually made in 1972.
Upon listening to first recording my instinct picked Grand. Listening to second recording I went with the upright but at end I was hesitant on my choice as the sound of both pianos was fabulous. Kelly Stone Anchorage, Alaska . I own a rebuilt Haines Brothers 4 ' 10" baby grand that was shipped up to Anchorage from Lilburn Georgia in 2006.Rebuilt in 2005 with original soundboard( shimmed). Action is heavy but playable with deep rich bass. Great for Chopin Funeral March. I'am practicing the Chopin Piano Concerto number one second Movement Larghetto Romanze for Solo Piano Urtext Edition Jan Ekier Wydanie Narodowe National Edition. Enjoying your "You Tube channel". 🥀🎶🤔
I thought I would get this easily. I did get it right, but certainly not easily - and probably by pure fluke. That upright sounded much better than I thought it would, for this reason : I saw a TH-cam video some time ago on somebody who had made a couple of modifications (I think I was just two mods) to the movement of his upright piano, to make it perform more like a grand. He demonstrated what a grand could do that an upright could not, then he showed how he had modified his upright to overcome these drawbacks. The changes had to be made to the mechanism for each individual key, so it must have been a lot of work. I don't know if he patented the changes, but I would guess that some manufacturer of uprights will have incorporated them - but this video used an upright produced in 1998, and I was under the impression that I had come across this person's video rather more recently than that.
I got it right because I felt the first piano sounded more "full". However the difference was very, very slight. I'm more curious to know what the price difference is between the two pianos and whether the additional cost of the grand would be justified.
I once again guessed wrong -- I thought the first was the upright. Actually I was delighted that the upright was so good as that is the only one I have room for.
I really liked piano 2 - the upright. I formed this opinion before I knew but I still agree with it. I did some googling and I understand grand pianos are preferable, why is that? To me it felt that the upright had more... "presence" if that makes sense. Not louder (although I feel that it was which may help), it just felt like it was.. Well, more present, and less backgroundy.
I got it right! My wife did also. We just got a free cabinet grand from W.J. Schultz piano company. I found an address for them, but there is nothing else online that I can find. Take care! Daryl A. Hill😎
Nice Vídeo! It was easy to get the right answer. 7-foot Grands have an elegant massive bass... It will be nice to compare an Upright with a small grand with similar soundboard area and string lenght.
I got it correct but it is incredibly subtle. The best way I can describe it is that the Grand Piano sounded more "full" and sang more clearly. The Upright sounded a bit more muffled and the sound wasn't quite so clear especially in the bass range. However this is an incredibly subtle difference and I wouldn't expect someone who didn't grow up around pianos to be able to tell the difference. I certainly couldn't tell you the difference if they weren't side by side. The side by side comparison gave a point of reference that I could use to pick out differences. Honestly in the context of a modern pianos there sound quality is nearly identical. The Grand is better but not so much so that I could tell absent any context. The major difference between a grand, baby grand, and upright is how they feel to play due to the piano key mechanisms being different. This is really a testament to how far pianos have come over the age and how it is much easier for families, schools, and other places to have pianos thanks to the improvements in the upright piano. Older uprights have a distinctly different (albeit charming) sound indicating there used to be pretty big differences but that is probably not true anymore.
Although The upright piano has a good sound (for an upright), but it is quite clear that the first one is the grand piano. I heard it immediatly, even before i heard the upright. The sound of the grand piano is so much richer, you can clearly hear the harmonics in the upper register. The lower register has much more “body”. It has a “living” tone. Thank you for the video.
It was a very close thing, but I got it right. Bass response just seemed to have a slight edge in the recordings on the first instrument, so that told me the first one was the grand. Guess it is pure physics of sound - bass notes have longer wavelengths, so the larger scale will allow better resonance and development etc down at the bottom end. Had everything just been up at the top end in both recordings I think it would have been a very tough call to make a decision. Both pianos very nice though.
I got this right because of the difference in resonance (the grand had a just plain more complex timbre), but I actually really loved the way this piece sounded on the upright.
Got it right... The first seemed to have more resonance whereas the second sounded boxy to me. Makes sense with the larger sound board and longer bass strings
I was right but I admit that I was not 100% sure. The room the upright was in made it sound really open. Normally they stand against a wall and that changes the sound. Also, uprights have a resonance in their body somewhere in the upped mid-range frequencies.
I got it right because the sympathetic resonance is different. In the first piano recording it was fuller and richer. The second piano has a very nice sound, but the attack is slightly different and the resonance wasn't as full. Still, both are really amazing instruments! Thanks for the challenge and the interpretation, it was very interesting!
I actually got it right! It was the sound of the pedals moving the dampers. The mic picked up the sound of the shift. Growing up my family had an upright, but my teacher had a full concert grand and I vividly remember that sound when using the uca corda pedal.
Preferred the purity of the fundamentals on the second piano (albeit on my phone speakers). Thought number 2 had a bigger sound and therefore grand. Playing the piano is such a different experience hearing the sea of harmonies and feeling the vibration through your body and under your fingers, so I might gravitate more towards the grand piano if I was playing it. I'd happily buy the upright though 😊
I got it right. I waited for the second recording and as soon as I hear it, Bam! the sound is different. The second one tells it quality like it is always supposed to be. Inside the box tone sound. While for the first has an open quality sound. Pretty clear
Having grown up with an upright piano in the house, I didn’t like its timbre in comparison to grand pianos I heard in professional music recordings. I had wondered whether this was due to inherent differences in how the types of pianos were built, or if it was just because my family’s piano wasn’t quite tuned properly. After hearing these samples, it confirmed for me that uprights don’t have the same quality as grands. The sound of a grand seems to have a bit more resonance, or maybe it’s that an upright introduces inharmonious frequencies. The difference to me is like the difference between someone speaking to you directly versus speaking into a tin can.
1: richer fuller sound, has a bit of an echo. So, Grand 2: sharper sound, wooden vibration. So, upright Edit: got it correct before the answer was revealed. Whoo! The only reason I know is my piano teacher when I was a kid taught me on a baby grand. My mother got an upright so I could practice. Basically, I got to hear the songs on both styles of pianos. I LOVE the sound of the grand over the upright at the same time the upright is familiar and homey.
I got it right because of the sound in the bass register, however! Choosing between the two was immensely more difficult than I thought it would be. That upright piano had a tremendous tone.
My exact reaction, I got it right but it almost felt like a guess...and I owned a Baldwin Hamilton years ago!
@@7karlheinz same. And anyone that would bash that upright is a pompous asshole! They sound so close.
1: much deeper and richer sound , 2: it was like just upright
OMG. I am a beginner at the age of 70. I could not tell the difference at all! Even with expensive headphones. I got them wrong. I so much enjoy your videos. They are always informative, interesting and I enjoy your enthusiasm and sense of humor. And of course your incredible playing too. John Stangl
@ John Stangl: starting to play the piano 🎹at 70? Good for you! Don't give up no matter what anybody says about your piano playing. Read my comment above. Good luck👍😁
i read the 70 as 7, haha, i was extremely surprised the whole time reading that "gosh how do they know those long words?!"
Hello Sir! I tried to get my 2 kids involved in piano 5 years and signed them up for classes when we moved to Mexico...they lasted about 2 months before they quit. I had signed up for classes at the same time....to follow along and help in their classes. 5 years later I still am attending weekly classes and practicing every day. I am also 70; so "my old comrade in arms"...keep practicing, enjoy the beautiful experience of playing music. Michael.
I was unsure while hearing the first recording, but knew right away when the second started. I like these comparisons. Now digital piano vs acoustic?
Same for me
Ewwww, digital? Even an untuned piano in a junkyard sounds better than digital, lol.
@@gokupikachu4207 digital pianos have come a long way... I've seen pianists struggle to differentiate them from acoustics, mostly when hearing recordings.
@@gokupikachu4207 sure if you buy a 30 dollar digital piano lmao
He already did it: th-cam.com/video/T6FaOOL_voI/w-d-xo.html
The bass is definitely the give away at the end. The upright struggles to resonate like the grand.
You are hearing a recording of pianos
What you are hearing is a recording.
@@jcmurr2669?
Haven't listened yet, but I gotta say I doubt that.
Grand is more sweet and full.However music is not just about perfection.
That has to be one of the best uprights I have ever heard lol. They always sound like apartment toys made for ragtime party music but this upright was actually rich and didn’t have such a percussive toy sound. Awesome video!
That bright tinny upright piano sound comes from being out of tune, and often from worn out hammers. When one is well taken care of, it can usually sound more like a grand.
Yay I got it right. The upright sounds brighter, and the grand has rich elongated base strings. Both are beautiful!
Amazing. Haven't heard a good upright like that in many years. Great teaching aid for us sound engineers. To get a good recording of piano is challenging, & that was beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
I knew piano 1 was the grand right from the start. I am so used to the sound of grand pianos from listening to youtube concerts and solos.
I've only been playing piano for 2 years and mine is a digital Suzuki baby grand. I was able to distinguish the rich vibrations of the grand piano. It's beautiful sound moving in the air. Thank you for your videos. I've learned at lot even though I'm still a "newbie" at piano.
Hello sir may i ask whats the title of the first piano song ??
Schumann - Carnaval op9 - chiarina.
I got this right but not because of the sound but because I think you chose a piece that highlights one of the limitations of an upright. Uprights have a harder time with quick note repetitions, even if only two in a row. The first piano's repetitions were sharp, quick, and strong whereas the 2nd was not.
Yes, the pianist sounded more comfortable on the first. Some phrases seemed better executed.
I can always tell. The grand pianos always sound less bright than an upright. It's hard to describe without knowing the correct terminology. But I can always always tell. Even before hearing the other I was confident. I would love a grand piano but I prefer the sound of an upright.
exactly, uprights have this goofy sound that's easy to hear
I got it right, but it was a lot closer than I thought it would be. Nice challenge, Robert!
Once I heard the higher notes in the second performance I already knew it was an upright piano :)
Why ? Just curious. I don’t know much about music just curious about the concept behind it.aren’t the more expensive piano able to reach to a wider range of notes ?
The high registers of the upright sounded compressed and the bass of the upright struggled to resonate as well as the grand piano.
Unmistakable that the 1st was the grand, the low end was much more substantial and sounded fuller overall
I was right yet again! The grand piano sounded richer, more lively and loud, where the upright sounded a little compressed and not able to sing like the grand. Both are indeed wonderful pianos though!
I like the 2nd one the most.
But the quality of bass notes in the 1st one is too much better.
Yes, I could tell the grand had a wider dynamic range and sounded more open. But having said that the upright sounded really good .
Question then: On a limited budget would I be better buying a lower end grand or a better quality upright?
As long as reliability and durability is roughly the same between instruments, I would say that the best buy is the one that inspires you to play and practice. Even brand name can be an important factor here. For example, say that you spend 5000 dollars extra on an instrument that performs roughly the same as another cheaper alternative, but the more expensive piano inspires you more to play due to whatever factor (looks, heritage, brand name), maybe those 5000 dollars are worth it?
Are you buying new piano or used piano?
Listen to your heart and hands on them to see which one you like and do consider the space limitation (my house does have this problem that's why I'm constricted to upright...) and bring a technician to check for you if you're buying a used piano.
A really bad low end grand piano might makes you refrain from wanting to play it -.- especially it is sounding too bad and the piano keys touching and the overall feeling you don't really like it...
where as high quality upright could be an inspiration to you wanting to play even more!
Of course you might found cheap old vintage used grand piano that is in really good condition to play, not necessary it is low quality. I have heard one online demostration video of Kawai 600 grand piano recently, which is built around 1960s to 1970s and is currently in sale for around USD 5400 in my country (Malaysia) and to my surprise it's quite old but still sounding so great =O
@@JoanKSX I love your country...I have visited Kl and Penang many many times...I haven’t been there this year due to COVID...take care and enjoy it for me
Loved this test, partially because I instantly knew what I was listening to with both pianos. Uprights often sound to me like the unison width is off.
Got it right. I can't explain how I knew, but I knew for sure. Thank you!
I like the upright one, its tone resolution is clear and its bass note at the end was impressive and feeling of rich or fabulous.
But my question is: did you removed the front panel of the upright piano while playing? where did you put the mic in both cases?
The mics were about 8 feet from both pianos. On the grand, the mics were opposite the open lid of the piano near the tail. On the upright, the mics were behind the piano.
@@LivingPianosVideos Thanks Robert, the mic position is an issue for me.
It was closer than I thought it would be. It was a nice upright. Nice video.
Piano 1: Upright
Piano 2: Grand
My reasoning is that the bass on piano 2 sounds much better. I don’t know if this is valid we’ll see
GG, got it wrong
First listening 👂through and I got the choices incorrect !
Fascinating!!! and thank you 🙏 very much
I got this one right. I was trying to listen for which one had more weight/power from the hammers and more reverb in the strings (both characteristics that seemed more like a grand). This was tough though.. I actually had them switched before i listened to them both again and solidified my answers. I've been a pianist my whole life but never a piano expert, so these listening tests are very interesting!
Well I did get it right, but I owned a Baldwin Hamilton and mine surely didn’t sound like that! I also don’t sound like you when I play😂😂
I think most vintage pianos sound that way!
I have a 1971 Kawai KST-5 sounds like the Baldwin upright in this video =O
Thanx, Robert. 🌹🌹🌹
I got it wrong! Blown away ….
And it’s greatly appreciated to compare the same location mic 🎙️ and piece - very cool find /example on your part (quiet low but long whistle = wowww)
Hello Robert. Really enjoyed this epic'ness! : same position, same recording equipment; sublime!
I did myself a favour and closed my eyes from the beginning, (before you began running the recordings). I was correct! None-the-less I welcomed the challenge. Whatever we play on, that's the best. I even enjoy playing piano's that are out of tune!! But a great instrument, is a joy.
If I owned the grand, I'd be upset...lol the Upright sounded MUCH fuller and richer..... Maybe it was the recording...
What is the name of the piece?
I remember versus between Steinway and another Chinese brand. So, many people and I failed because those audio recordings had taken in different places. In this video, the audio had recorded in the same room with the same microphones. I got it right this time. For me, the grand piano's sound feels like much gorgeous and meaty. One day I will buy the grand piano of my life.
I got it wrong! The upright sounded magnificent, great resonance and the only thing that made me doubt it was a grand was the bass notes tone, but it wasn't enough doubt to make me guess the right answer!
Hey man, love all your videos! Would love to hear you do baby grand (5’ft) vs semi concert grand (7’ft) next!
I got it wrong, but wow that Hamilton sounds great.
I could tell the difference, because the Grand piano has a much fuller, richer sound. Since the upright is more limited in it's space to run the strings, certain tones fall short of the Grand.
While different, I'm certainly impressed with just how good the upright sounded. Well done!
Yes. I thought the sound of the Grand piano was more crisper and more defined
True but not all people have space for a grand. This applies to me so that’s why I got a good quality Baldwin upright piano
It is very true
@@Pianissemo
I have an upright Nordheimer.
I loved the tone of the first piano more than the second and had hoped it was the upright! Now I know I have to change my piano. Thanks for the very helpful video.
Tremendous test! I have an SF10 and after your playing I was darned if I could positively identify the 7 footer! I've got a tremendous amount of respect for Baldwin as a piano maker and you've proven to me, they make superb musical instruments (or at least did at the time these two very different pianos were made). Thank you
Nice it makes me so relief that after listening the sound of piano is one of my favorite instrument.
YeeHa! Got it right. One for two. Got the last test wrong. Both of these Baldwin sounded very warm. You always have such great videos for us, Maestro. Mil gracias, Danke, Merci, Thanx🌹🌹🌹😎
So how many iPads do I need to play the piano?
Dang, beautiful pianos. I thought there was a lighter tone in the second piano meaning that it was the grand. Great video.
I got it wrong,
That Baldwin grand is very upright-like and the the Baldwin upright very grand-like!!!
Got the correct ones. Awesome playing!!!
OMG...I fail it...lol... however it was an adventure...Thanks to you living piano.
I got it right but expected more of a sound difference, I was impressed with the upright. Some uprights sound great...I hear so many users in TH-cam videos where they aren’t in tune and it just drives me crazy. If an upright has a good scale design (long enough strings with no false beating) and quality hammers that are well voiced you can be surprised by the solid bell like tone you can get out of an upright...this proves it.
just the video i needed
I guessed right once I heard the second one. It’s hard to describe but I could hear more of a difference in the higher notes than in the lower bass notes.
Great piece and playing on both though.
Got it wrong, swore the upright was first, Doe !, great vid ;-)
This was fun! I did get it right, and (as Adam Norell said), it was because of the sound of the bass register. I was confident of my choice, yet prepared to be blown away, had you said it was the reverse. The upright does have beautiful tone, but the depth of the bass notes resonating in the considerably larger instrument was telling.
Great video! I got it right (it was a guesstimate TBH!), Piano No.2 had more attack and I could hear the hammers hitting the strings a lot more. Also Piano No.1sounded 'fuller' and more reverberant (is that even a word?!?!) Was that the piano or was the grand recorded in a different room? Great video, thanks for posting
i got it right. The first was more full and resonated more.
No, I reversed them. I thought the first piano sounded like an upright.
I got it right. This one was a lot more clear cut than the Steinway vs Chinese piano test - I play an upright at home and recognised the 'upright' sound immediately in the 2nd recording.
I actually got it right. Beautiful piece of music and both sounded amazing.
I got it wrong. I liked the second better. More melllow?
that's a really good upright!
It definitely surprised me. The difference wasn't as obvious as I thought it would be.
Still, you can hear the reverberation in the wood on some of the middle notes on the upright, and that's what gave it away for me.
Ar first I wasn't sure. I was committed to not picking until I heard both. However, when I heard some of the low-end, especially the last chord, I just couldn't imagine the "openness" of sound (i.e. not coming out of a box), and the bass, I was sure that the first must be the grand. Of course, the first few notes of #2 confirmed it for me. Although it was beautiful, it just sounded a little "thinner" and less rich. There was slightly less bass, or it felt boxed in. All that said, I braced myself to find out that somehow I was wrong. Great video.
That is an impressive upright! Side by side, #1 has the richer and deeper sound but it was harder than I thought.
Another 70 year old beginner with failing hearing. Convinced that the first was the grand until I listened to the second which I then thought had to be the grand because of the louder and richer sound. I have an upright and dreamt of getting a grand if I improved sufficiently. You may have shaved me a fortune. Thanks. A great challenge. More similar tests would help confirm judgment.
I put a 7’ Seiler grand next to the 1912 Willis upright on the stage of Edgewater Hall and a London Coserrvatory-trained pianist organized a round-robin where 7 of the regions pianists played the same Chopin Noctune on one then, at the sound of a bell, the next. I sure got to appreciate the Willis a lot more!
The old buggy still had it!
They both sounded good. I was able to tell the difference because of the lower register. Smoother sound with the grand vs the studio. As far as the middle and upper end, they sounded close. Thanks for this comparison.
I failed picking out the grand, but I prefer the upright if I'm honest
Ok you want to compare pianos? Compare an Anton Petrof 136 upright piano to a 6 foot grand piano... Steinway, and you'll be surprised which one definitely sounds better. I have heard many Steinways at the Conservatorium which were not on par with some great uprights I have played. A very good quality full size upright will ALWAYS outmatch any baby grand and perhaps a parlor grand if it's really good. Even on rare occasions on action responsiveness!
Continue with those videos!
When I heard the first, my thought was, "Well, that certainly is not a Steinway or a Yamaha so it must be the upright." Then, the second started and I laughed. Clearly, the second was the upright. I applaud you for choosing the same manufacturer, same studio, mics, piece, etc. But, one was 10 years older than the other:) Pianos are like violins, vocalists, or guitars - each one is unique.
My decision was right. But concrats for the superb Recording: excellent test. Not obvious!
Hi Robert, how to adjust our playing to bring out the best from pianos sounds interesting!
😊 got the choice right!!
I got it right. I liked the first piano right away and thought to myself, "wow, if an upright can do this, then it must be amazing. " When the second started, it was clear right away that the first was the grand.
For me, the grand had a depth and richness the upright couldn't replicate. It felt as if notes played on the upright were only audible or vibrant for certain high-pitched notes, but the grand can sustain all notes.
Upright versus Grand is not just about sound It is about he mechanics Hammers fall sideways in the upright and down in the grand Piano Also you are comparing pianos that I assume have mics at the same distance or right placement A grand piano will have a "bigger" sound range against an orchestra since the sound is projected towards the audience in a different manner Also a grand piano has a more beautiful aesthetic look than most upright pianos If the pianos are well tuned and well maintained the sound will be good either in way Did the rooms during the recordings have the same accoustics and were the microphones placed at the same range of strings?
Excellent! Thank`s!
I figured the first one was the grand ... but what actually gave it away for me was not the bass (nor, as I've seen in a comment or two here or pianoworld, the treble). For me it was the low / mid tenor section.
For whatever reason, I can often (although maybe not necessarily always) tell, or at least make a fairly good guess, as to what notes use plain steel strings, vs. which ones use wound strings, or in some cases where the bass/tenor (physical crossover) break is. Interesting thing about the Baldwin SF-10 - it has wound strings going higher than I normally would expect to see on a 7-foot grand - highest wound string is C#3. On this particular Hamilton the highest wound string note is D3. A few times in the recordings D3 (plain strings on SF-10, wound on this Hamilton) was played - at 1:48, 2:18, 2:50 on the grand, and 3:19, 3:54 (this one especially stood out to me) on the upright.
Baldwin Hamiltons are among my favorite upright pianos, especially the older ones, for their sound. I remember hearing tapes from a church camp over Labor Day weekend in 1986 (when I was 5), and also 1988, and later got the 1987 and 1985 tapes from the same church camp, and absolutely LOVED the sound of that piano! Then in my teens and 20s, I had opportunities to play various Baldwin Hamiltons from around the 1950s, and they had a very similar sound, so I often wonder if the piano used at that church camp might have been a Hamilton. (But then it could have been something else - sometimes it sounds like the plain strings extend down to like B2 or A#2, or in a couple songs I hear C#3 have a very similar sound to the older Hamiltons that had that note as the first plain-steel trichord immediately above the break.)
I currently own two Hamiltons - one from 1950 (#144211), and the other from 1956 (#167714), also there's one at my church (we haven't been there in about a year due to Covid, and the last time I tuned it was I think around September 2014 so it definitely needs it) from 1951 (#148947).
My older Hamilton actually has plain steel trichords all the way down to the break, making C#3 the first note with 3 plain steel strings. The cabinet is also a bit narrower, and the design of the plate means the lowest bass strings are a few inches shorter, so its bass is a bit lacking compared to newer Hamiltons, not helped by the piano being 71 years old this year. I learned recently from a 2-3 year old online post that Baldwin stamped manufacture dates on their actions, so I pulled my 1950 Hamilton apart to investigate, and saw 7-28-50 penciled on one of the action rails, in the treble section above where the dampers stop. (I haven't done this with my '56 Hamilton yet, I have some other projects I'm working on and there's a bunch of stuff piled on the piano right now.)
Also on my Hamiltons, as well as the church piano, the top lid opens separately from the front, like a traditional piano, with spring clips to hold the lid shut. (The "propstick cabinet" as I often call it started I think around 1963 or so.)
BTW looking under "Hamilton" in the Pierce Piano Atlas for the serial number of the piano in the video here, tells me this Hamilton was actually made in 1972.
Upon listening to first recording my instinct picked Grand. Listening to second recording I went with the upright but at end I was hesitant on my choice as the sound of both pianos was fabulous. Kelly Stone Anchorage, Alaska . I own a rebuilt Haines Brothers 4 ' 10" baby grand that was shipped up to Anchorage from Lilburn Georgia in 2006.Rebuilt in 2005 with original soundboard( shimmed). Action is heavy but playable with deep rich bass. Great for Chopin Funeral March. I'am practicing the Chopin Piano Concerto number one second Movement Larghetto Romanze for Solo Piano Urtext Edition Jan Ekier Wydanie Narodowe National Edition. Enjoying your "You Tube channel". 🥀🎶🤔
I thought I would get this easily. I did get it right, but certainly not easily - and probably by pure fluke. That upright sounded much better than I thought it would, for this reason : I saw a TH-cam video some time ago on somebody who had made a couple of modifications (I think I was just two mods) to the movement of his upright piano, to make it perform more like a grand. He demonstrated what a grand could do that an upright could not, then he showed how he had modified his upright to overcome these drawbacks. The changes had to be made to the mechanism for each individual key, so it must have been a lot of work. I don't know if he patented the changes, but I would guess that some manufacturer of uprights will have incorporated them - but this video used an upright produced in 1998, and I was under the impression that I had come across this person's video rather more recently than that.
Sorry, I got it wrong! Amazing!
I got it right because I felt the first piano sounded more "full". However the difference was very, very slight. I'm more curious to know what the price difference is between the two pianos and whether the additional cost of the grand would be justified.
I once again guessed wrong -- I thought the first was the upright. Actually I was delighted that the upright was so good as that is the only one I have room for.
I really liked piano 2 - the upright. I formed this opinion before I knew but I still agree with it. I did some googling and I understand grand pianos are preferable, why is that? To me it felt that the upright had more... "presence" if that makes sense. Not louder (although I feel that it was which may help), it just felt like it was.. Well, more present, and less backgroundy.
I got it right! My wife did also. We just got a free cabinet grand from W.J. Schultz piano company. I found an address for them, but there is nothing else online that I can find. Take care! Daryl A. Hill😎
Nice Vídeo! It was easy to get the right answer. 7-foot Grands have an elegant massive bass... It will be nice to compare an Upright with a small grand with similar soundboard area and string lenght.
I got it correct but it is incredibly subtle. The best way I can describe it is that the Grand Piano sounded more "full" and sang more clearly. The Upright sounded a bit more muffled and the sound wasn't quite so clear especially in the bass range. However this is an incredibly subtle difference and I wouldn't expect someone who didn't grow up around pianos to be able to tell the difference. I certainly couldn't tell you the difference if they weren't side by side. The side by side comparison gave a point of reference that I could use to pick out differences.
Honestly in the context of a modern pianos there sound quality is nearly identical. The Grand is better but not so much so that I could tell absent any context. The major difference between a grand, baby grand, and upright is how they feel to play due to the piano key mechanisms being different. This is really a testament to how far pianos have come over the age and how it is much easier for families, schools, and other places to have pianos thanks to the improvements in the upright piano. Older uprights have a distinctly different (albeit charming) sound indicating there used to be pretty big differences but that is probably not true anymore.
Although The upright piano has a good sound (for an upright), but it is quite clear that the first one is the grand piano. I heard it immediatly, even before i heard the upright. The sound of the grand piano is so much richer, you can clearly hear the harmonics in the upper register. The lower register has much more “body”. It has a “living” tone. Thank you for the video.
It was a very close thing, but I got it right. Bass response just seemed to have a slight edge in the recordings on the first instrument, so that told me the first one was the grand. Guess it is pure physics of sound - bass notes have longer wavelengths, so the larger scale will allow better resonance and development etc down at the bottom end. Had everything just been up at the top end in both recordings I think it would have been a very tough call to make a decision. Both pianos very nice though.
I got this right because of the difference in resonance (the grand had a just plain more complex timbre), but I actually really loved the way this piece sounded on the upright.
Got it right... The first seemed to have more resonance whereas the second sounded boxy to me. Makes sense with the larger sound board and longer bass strings
I was right but I admit that I was not 100% sure. The room the upright was in made it sound really open. Normally they stand against a wall and that changes the sound. Also, uprights have a resonance in their body somewhere in the upped mid-range frequencies.
I got it right because the sympathetic resonance is different. In the first piano recording it was fuller and richer. The second piano has a very nice sound, but the attack is slightly different and the resonance wasn't as full. Still, both are really amazing instruments! Thanks for the challenge and the interpretation, it was very interesting!
Both very enjoyable sound, I had right answer.
I actually got it right! It was the sound of the pedals moving the dampers. The mic picked up the sound of the shift. Growing up my family had an upright, but my teacher had a full concert grand and I vividly remember that sound when using the uca corda pedal.
Preferred the purity of the fundamentals on the second piano (albeit on my phone speakers). Thought number 2 had a bigger sound and therefore grand. Playing the piano is such a different experience hearing the sea of harmonies and feeling the vibration through your body and under your fingers, so I might gravitate more towards the grand piano if I was playing it. I'd happily buy the upright though 😊
for me the last bar of the piece helped me to guess correctly which is grand and which is upright. That low-end keys helped to distinguish.
Got it right! Deeper, resonating sound on grand, but was somewhat difficult to figure out~
I got it wrong..wow
I got it right. I waited for the second recording and as soon as I hear it, Bam! the sound is different. The second one tells it quality like it is always supposed to be. Inside the box tone sound. While for the first has an open quality sound. Pretty clear
Having grown up with an upright piano in the house, I didn’t like its timbre in comparison to grand pianos I heard in professional music recordings. I had wondered whether this was due to inherent differences in how the types of pianos were built, or if it was just because my family’s piano wasn’t quite tuned properly.
After hearing these samples, it confirmed for me that uprights don’t have the same quality as grands. The sound of a grand seems to have a bit more resonance, or maybe it’s that an upright introduces inharmonious frequencies. The difference to me is like the difference between someone speaking to you directly versus speaking into a tin can.
1: richer fuller sound, has a bit of an echo. So, Grand
2: sharper sound, wooden vibration. So, upright
Edit: got it correct before the answer was revealed. Whoo! The only reason I know is my piano teacher when I was a kid taught me on a baby grand. My mother got an upright so I could practice. Basically, I got to hear the songs on both styles of pianos. I LOVE the sound of the grand over the upright at the same time the upright is familiar and homey.