Bright vs Warm Piano Voicing – Which Is Best for Your Piano?

[jonbarnhart]

My piano teacher at a local university has two steinway in the teaching room. They visually look like the same model. Both are well maintained and tuned. One is quite bright the other is balanced.

[DeadHorse]

I like tiny uniform hammer level bright that remains balanced across all registers. The shallow key depth is something I'm also going to do with my piano while restoring it since I write for forte piano and the one I have is almost there.

[johnpagan]

Thanks, great information about piano construction, tips for expression, and what to listen for when practicing / playing.

[shanhuawang]

Steinway USA (1950-1960 years)-have ‘’duet’’:brigh and warm sound together, (50/50)-unique.

[hurricane_hazel]

Wonderful videos lately. I'm loving all this information.

[pianostudy]

Thanks Robert! A couple of decades ago, Steinway toured Horowitz’s piano in my area of country. I had the wonderful privilege to play it. Yes (!) you are spot on about the action of his piano—wow!

[ds]

Help. This is the video what my piano needs to hear! I have a new Yamaha b3 having wanted a used one of the same model. The music store sold the used piano but failed to remove it from their website. But they happened to have the new of the same model and I bought it early this summer. BUT I learned the piano was not broken in and the tone is very uneven among the keys. I learned that this piano was built in Indonesia that doesn't break in the piano as they do with their pianos built in Japan. Some notes are harsh and some are not. Just very uneven. For me the issue is the even adjacent key to key wide variation. Thanks for the tips.

[lucyfoster]

Thank you for this video and explanation on voicing of the piano. I did not know that was even possible! Do you think you could choose a musical piece of your choice as an example and gift us with it for a Friday evening? ❤😊.

[panosteve]

I wonder if hammer makers like Renner produce different grades hardness to choose from or is it the case that there is just one product which must be voiced by the piano manufacturer. Yamaha make their own hammers I believe and therefore generally when new sound quite different to German makes.

[rekrapadept]

My Kawai K300 has a very strong, loud bass, kind of dead sounding mid section, and a very punchy but clear high treble. This makes it very hard to play with a quiet bass and clear melody on top. I did try to file the hammers a while back because i got tired of it. This kind of fixed the problem in that it balanced the whole piano to be quieter across the board. It was nice while it lasted for those couple months but now it's back to it's old self. I'm not really sure what to do with it.

[NoHomerS]

I like a bright sound but never shrill or with reverb. Fazioli has the best sound, best action and best key texture. Like it was made for me personally. All the best features in a single package. This is why I want one someday.

[Gustavo-xfq]

Nice video. I got a brand new Kawai GL40 a few months ago that has a very warm tone. But I live in a small Aprtment and it is a little overpowering. I recently started looking at uprights and REALLY enjoyed the Bechstein A6 upright and liked the Yamaha YUS5. I play a lot of Chopin and Brahms. Would you go from a brand new Kawai GL40 (5’11”) grand to a Bechstein A6 upright? Thank you and look forward to visiting your dealer.

[michaelgriffith]

Hi Robert -thank you for your talk on voicing. I have a new Bechstein upright A116 and a few of the notes shout out louder than the ones around them. Is it worth trying to get these voiced or should I learn to live with them. Overall I love the sound of the piano but there is a little unevenness in what some notes produce…. Maybe my playing has something to do with it???? Thank you!

[derriwilliams]

Great video. I know I asked you about this last year. I still can't get warmth on my M.

[JoeLinux]

This is one of the reasons I prefer Pianoteq.

[brnfrederick]

When I listen to piano performance through my TV speakers. I find I can sometimes spot when a performer is playing a Bechstein as opposed to a Steinway because the Bechstein sounds brighter and the Steinway sounds sweeter. What do you think?

[AS-blqy]

I recently purchased a baldwin hamilton, and after a while playing it (I don’t have much experience) I realized that it has a metalic sound to it, is there something that can be done to diminish that?

[GGMann-qhui]

Hi Robert,
I’m in Lake Charles, Louisiana and would like to have my Yamaha C3 voiced. Do you have a recommendation or contact referral from the Houston area who might make a two hour drive to voice it? I’ve had it regulated and have had the hammers re-contoured and am not happy with the tone or consistency between notes.
Thank you, Steuart