Bright VS. Warm Voicing: Can You Tell the Difference?

Today, we’ll conduct a sound test to illustrate the differences between a piano with a bright voicing and one with a warmer tone.

The walnut finish has a rich woodgrain. It’s hard to believe that a walnut New York Steinway grand piano today is well over $100,000. This beautiful piano can grace your home for decades to come with proper maintenance. It also comes with a comfortable, deluxe adjustable artist bench.

[normadeluccia]

The Steinway!!
A warm sound that’s
beautiful

[aBachwardsfellow]

The main concern for a brightly-voiced instrument is that it has a somewhat limited range of nuance.

A warmly-voiced instrument starts off warm and can go to a more bright timbre as it plays louder -- somewhat along the natural lines of change in timbre associated with the human voice and other instruments (woodwinds, brass, strings). Thus a warmly voiced instrument may be capable of having more of a "singing" tone -- so conspicuously noted with Steinways and a few others.

By contrast, while a warmly voiced instrument presents a change in timbre from playing softly to loudly, a brightly-voiced instrument (such as Yamaha) shows no change of timbre -- it can only play from softly to loudly. Thus it is difficult to render the same degree of expressiveness from brightly-voiced instruments (such as Yamaha). Some artists -- ones seemingly more concerned with technical renditions over expressive renditions -- seem to prefer Yamahas as the range of nuance found in warmer-voiced instruments can be problematic and bothersome to have to accommodate.

There are a few other considerations, such as the room, the repertoire, and the context in which the instrument is played. For a large room, for a concerto, for jazz, a more brightly voiced instrument may be needed, whereas for a smaller room, for classical repertoire a more warmly-voiced and expressive instrument would be better.

[marksmale]

I just listened to Tomoharu Ushida playing the same Chopin (Opus 49) on a Yamaha CFX in the Chopin competition and just now on a Steinway D in the current Leeds competition. Although the Yamaha had a beautiful tone, the Steinway undoubtedly had more resonance and depth.

[kittyfruitloop]

I never thought about voicing on pianos until I saw your video you had mentioned. Im thinking my little 80s Baldwin is on the brighter side and I am very happy with it.
However, now i want to go visit a piano store like yours to try out different pianos in one space to see and hear what you're talking about. Im in northwest Georgia and i know there's a good piano store in Chattanooga ill have to check out sometime.

[Martial-Mat]

I definitely wouldn't call the second piano warm, but there was a very distinct bell-like vibration to the first one. In fact, it's hard to describe in terms that are not bell like! There's a ringing after image to each note, that I didn't realise until I jumped back and forwards between the clips.
It was kind of brassy, hinting towards the resonance of an upright piano.
I would have thought that I would prefer a warm tone without hearing them - I envisioned a more comforting sound, but if I had to use a word to describe it, I would call in muffled or even muted.
Of course, the environment and youtube compression affects the sound as well.

Which did you prefer Robert, or is it situational?

[Beyondabsence]

Hi Robert, would love to know the brand and model of the little mics you have inside the piano! You make the Steinway sound really warm, and the mics capture that very well. Thank you much

[DeadHorse]

I like scorching level bright with all small uniform hammers.

[MrFn]

Although these pianos are approx the same size I feel that using 2 exact age/ models like 2 Steinway A of the approx same age using one voiced bright vs warm would be a much more compelling video.

[KarstenJohansson]

Very cool. I'm glad as a guitar player I just have to change a speaker cabinet or throw in an 11-band EQ. Much easier.

[PianoRevisited]

I lean slightly toward the first piano. I like the bell like tones but I agree with the person that said they wouldn't classify the Steinway as having a warm tone. Maybe "warmer " would be appropriate but I still hear ample bell like qualities in the higher registers. I have heard Steinways that are decidedly too " warm " or at least muted for my taste. This Steinway is not one of them. Either piano would make me happy.

[patrickwall]

I liked them both, I think I liked the 2nd one a little bit more.

[annietsui]

Actually camera captures brighter sound better but in person warm voicing always sounds the best to me

[lizweekes]

Steinway has a clearer sound but they're both lovely to listen to

[Guidussify]

I would not describe the Steinway as warm, but I definitely prefer it to the Scheidmayer, which is too bright to my ear.

[terrykcook]

@LivingPianosVideos Just a suggestion, but sometimes you play something I haven't heard before (I'm a pretty recent classical convert) and it would be great to hear you, or even a recording you recommend play the whole thing. A couple of quick links would be invaluable!

[raleedy]

If you'd played them in reverse order, I don't think I would have stayed around for the brighter one.

[boldstrike]

That Schiedmayer D# central note is not good, something is wrong with it, or maybe its just my impression....

[hurricane_hazel]

Oooo the Steinway for me. I found the first one rather unbearable by the end (the tone, not your playing). 😊 Thank you for these wonderful videos. They must amaze the people who think all pianos sound the same

[bifeldman]

If you’ve heard two older pianos you’ve heard two older piano.

[Cincy]

Both are beautiful. The choice would be a personal preference since you cannot say one is "better" than the other. I would choose the warm Steinway but I'm prejudiced. I have a restored 1887 Model C that is also very warm.