Why a Spinet piano is different than Upright Pianos
Why are spinets different than uprights?
Spinet pianos are technically and reluctantly categorized as upright pianos, in spite of that, due to their inherent limitations they are colloquially referred to as ‘spinets,’ not as ‘upright pianos.’
These antiquated pianos have a smaller size in all ways imaginable. Compressing the design of a piano into such a small space negatively impacts the playability and overall sound for these types of pianos.
Frequently, these pianos are rediscovered in old American homes and suggested as a "Piano that just needs a tuning" to any takers willing to give it a new home (often at the cost of hauling the heavy freight).
While donating (or receiving) a Spinet Piano may seem like a great option for beginners, compact pianos like these repeatedly imbue a disinterest for piano beginners and hobby players alike. The truth is that these cheap pianos are a real non-starter.
Furthermore, donations of Spinet Pianos is an exercise in naivety because the donor and recipient may unconsciously assume that 'Spinet' and 'Upright Pianos' are indistinguishable at best, while in reality the donor off-loads a costly "lemon" to unwitting, underprivileged persons.
Seriously, any high-quality piano model will do more to foster a genuine learning experience and inspire future professional musicians than a dropped action Spinet.
Any candid piano teacher will tell you that it's necessary for students to have an acceptable instrument to learn on, and Spinets are decidedly unacceptable for piano students in piano lessons.
Prevailing upright pianos are far superior in many regards and suitable for learning and playing piano excellently.
Spinet Pianos and their Qualities
Listed below are distinctive qualities specific to Spinets (small size), as opposed to Upright Pianos (full size).
Do Spinets sound different?
Spinets have short strings which negatively impacts the tonal quality in the following ways:
Inharmonicity is highest in spinets, which means that resonant frequencies are minimal or entirely unavailable; the piano doesn’t “ring” like it ought to, which ordinarily plays an important role to inspire beginners.
The hammers are old and hard, which means that tone quality is poor and undesirable; the piano sounds clanky and tinny.
The tuning of shorter strings does not have good tonal quality, which means that even when perfectly tuned it will sound like error; the tuning won’t sound good, even when recently tuned.
They have small soundboards lacking a high-quality resonant sound often found in larger upright pianos
In Layman's Terms, the significant difference in the sound quality of a Spinet Piano resembles a toy only appropriate for home use. Spinets are largely for those who need a good looking furniture piece for their living room.
How can you tell a piano is a Spinet?
The tall tale sign that a piano is a Spinet is when the music shelf protrudes much higher than the top of the lid. Generally, the top half of the music shelf that holds the sheet music sits above the rest of the piano.
Many Spinet Pianos are kept because they have a charming look to them and provide a visual accent to a small room. They're hardly kept for musical purposes; due to their low quality they don't remain musically useful for long.
Read More: Upright or Spinet?: 10 Different Ways To Tell
Some of the cabinet designs look similar to console pianos, so there is not much telling them apart from the outside other than the height of the cabinet, and the protrusion of the music shelf on top.
Is the action of a Spinet different than an Upright?
The Spinet Piano has a different kind of action and is the only keyboard instrument with "forks" at the back of the keys holding foot-long "drop stickers" to control the action apparatus.
At the backs of the keys these "drop stickers" transfer the momentum of the key about a foot away to an area where the action operates with minimal space. All of this takes place in a compact area just below the keys.
Spinets have an indirect blow action, also known as a drop-action to piano technicians. It's basically how piano designers could condense all the mechanisms inside the limited space of the smallest pianos in the world.
The drop action is the most inadequate mechanism because of its compact design limitations. It hardly allows for any nuanced musical expression that advanced piano players require!
In addition, pianists have reduced key control due to their shortened keys. Shorter keys make it nearly impossible to play advanced musical passages adequetely.
Which Brands made Spinets?
The two largest brands in the world that produced Spinets were Wurlitzer and Baldwin Acrosonic.
These were once the most popular choice for young families during the Great Depression. This is primarily due to the economic viability to own an in-home musical instrument for families during that time period.
Upright Pianos and their Qualities
Upright pianos are designed with everything bigger and better than Spinet Pianos. The added benefits to a larger design positively impacts the sound, aesthetic, and the functionality of the piano.
How does an Upright sound different than a Spinet?
Modern day Upright Pianos have better sound quality due to the larger soundboard that creates a richer tone. The full size action creates a feeling of playing on a quality instrument, because large upright pianos are higher quality musical instruments.
With the piano strings being much larger it's actually possible to achieve a fuller sound, unlike with small pianos. The sound has the ability to reverberate through the resonant Sitka Spruce soundboard along with the other high-quality materials built into better pianos.
The truth of the matter is that the longer strings have better sound, making it a good choice for pianists and parents alike. If you have a choice about what to include in your livingroom, you'll want to have something that actually sounds good!
How do Upright Pianos look different than Spinets?
First and foremost, the piano height for these instruments are taller than their Spinet counterparts. Upright pianos can be up to 1.5 feet taller than spinets.
The height of larger uprights makes it so that the music shelf isn't the highest point of the piano (like in a spinet). The top lid of the cabinet in an upright pianos is the highest point on a larger upright piano.
While the cabinet characteristics between an Upright Piano and a Spinet may be similar, taller pianos are never Spinets! Only the shortest vertical pianos that you see would likely be spinets.
How is the action of an Upright Piano different than a Spinet?
The keys themselves are longer which allows for further control of the keyboard, which is to say that playing intermediate pieces well is readily achievable. Better control over the key makes it possible to train as a better pianist.
A good piano should have a full sized action, which many professional upright pianos are equipped. The type of action makes a huge difference in the overall feel of the key for the piano player.
The action of a console offers less control for the pianist than does a studio upright, however, it's more acceptable to start piano lessons on a console as opposed to a Spinet. Spinets are unsuitable for piano lessons as a whole.
What’s the difference of Spinets vs. Upright Pianos?
Spinets are inferior products that are unsuitable for learning, teaching, and tuning. Buyers should beware that they ensure they avoid purchasing the smallest compact pianos of the lot; namely spinets.
If one is thinking of giving away a Spinet, it's wise to reconsider by properly disposing the instrument instead of off-loading it to anyone willing to take it. Donating spinets, much like any inferior good, will get disposed of as soon as getting a better piano is feasible.
As for donations, it's far better to get the least expensive small Upright Piano refurbished or new from a piano store and offer it as a proper donation than to be opportunistic by getting rid of a Spinet under the guise of a donation.
While these two pianos may look similar on the outside, on of the best ways to tell them apart is by seeing how tall the piano is. A piano technician would surely be able to tell the difference between an upright and a spinet just by looking inside the cabinet.
At the end of the day, it's not accurate to call a Spinet an Upright Piano because there are significant distinctions between the two that may not necessarily be widely known. It's best to verify this information with a professional or a piano player who's willing to look inside the cabinet at the mechanisms within.
I hope that this blog article helped you navigate the differences between upright pianos and spinet pianos. Additionally I hope it has shed some light onto what piano tuners see, hear, and feel anytime a Spinet is mentioned in a casual conversation.
If you have any further questions please contact me and I will be happy to assist you in what you may need.
Thank you for your time, and thank you for reading!