If you’re a musical director for a church, it can sometimes be difficult to ensure you have the right pianos in place for all of your musical needs. Especially if you have members willing to donate one they are no longer using.
Should you accept it? Or should you hold out for one better suited for your needs. Even if it means you have to pay premium dollars for it later on.
There is a difference between a piano designed for home use, and one created to handle commercial applications. The tonal quality of one for a small home is different than one that will project music out into a congregation or auditorium.
Large Sanctuaries
Whether the piano is to be used as a solar instrument or one that accompanies vocalists, it’s not recommended to buy anything less than a 6 foot grand piano that is performance or professional grade. If you have a large congregation, will be recording performances, or regularly hold recitals or other musical events, you might upgrade to a seven to nine foot performance grand piano. The sound increase will make the music stand out that much more.
Choir Rooms and Rehearsal Spaces
Because these rooms are smaller and less critical, you have more options for what piano to use. A grand 5’6” to 6’ is perfectly acceptable in these situations. You can also move to an upright; just be sure it’s a professional series and can produce high quality sound. A performance quality upright 46 inches or taller can often produce superior tonal quality to many grands under 5’6”.
Verticals between 48 and 49 inches are built for performance, with larger soundboards, longer strings, and heavier hammers. They work well for choir accompaniment.
Verticals over 50 inches can often sound like a grand piano, and have good projection in smaller auditoriums. They are often less expensive than the smallest of grand pianos, making them a good choice in these situations.
Grands 5’6” to 6’4” are midsize grands, and are too small to be considered professional. They work well in rehearsal spaces, or rooms where accompaniment is their only purpose.
Semi-grands range from 6’5” to 7’11” and are built to provide high quality sound in smaller halls. They do very well for accompaniment work.
Full concert grand 8’ to 9’ or longer are reserved for professional settings where solo work occurs regularly. If you will be showcasing piano in your concert series, this is the best piano to have on hand.
What size piano is needed for your church setting?
