small modern uprights are usually about 62cm from the floor to the underside of the keyboard. If you are tall then you will probably have to use a chair which is lower than a piano stool, or an adjustable stool at minimum height. In this way you should be able to arrive at the ideal acoustic. However if you’re buying a bright sounding modern Yamaha or Bosendorfer then it’s likely you’ll need to put a rug under the piano, and may also need to introduce other absorbent material to the room such as drapes or tapestries. If you’re buying a soft toned piano such as an old style Bluthner then this may not be a problem.
It’s most important to note that as the soundboard vibrates the sound bounces back off a wooden floor, making the piano sound much louder than it does on a carpeted one. This may be useful if you have thin walls or need to practice in the same room as others, but the tone is not as good as when played normally. This inserts a piece of felt between the hammer and the strings, making it very quiet. Some uprights are fitted with a third practice pedal, and we can fit this to most other pianos in the form of a lever under the keyboard. Older uprights usually have them, and modern ones. If you use thick music books, then a pair of book holders can be fitted to most small pianos. Another fine small upright found in the UK that we like very much is by Fazer, made in Finland from about 1975 to 1990. Some of these can be quite worn, so much advice is needed before purchasing. Small modern upright pianos date from about 1960 to the present day and the best period of manufacture was from about 1965 to about 1990. Recent examples of this are the Yamaha E108 and LU101 and B1 which in our opinion don’t have a pleasing tone. This is because most of the far eastern small uprights are scaled down copies of the taller ones, and often produce an uneven and brash thin tone. As a rule, these English pianos were far better made than the equivalent new ones from the Far East. The most common good ones are by Knight and Welmar with some of the small uprights made by Kemble, Rogers, Broadwood and Chappell also being well made. Our award-winning technology listens to you play and gives instant feedback on your accuracy and timing. Follow lesson plans created by real music teachers, learn fast with interactive tutorials, and stay motivated with goals and progress tracking. With much competition, high skill levels and great demand, the quality of the best ones was extremely high. Yousician makes learning to play an instrument fun and easy, no matter your skill level. These are generally far better made than the same size piano made today, as from about 1920 to 1985 (uprights from about 1960 to 1985) many British firms specialised in making small pianos. In the UK there are still many fine small upright pianos made by English firms from about 1960 to 1990.