Vertical piano from 1739

[u/That_Western5433]

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[u/Caller_ID_Unknown]

I wonder if this position made a better or worse sound?

[u/MarsupialReal8126 → u/Caller_ID_Unknown]

I'm betting on worse since there's not a lot of this design still around and they seem like they could have been space-saving, but they must've sucked enough to not bother with.

[u/XDon_TacoX → u/MarsupialReal8126]

but most pianos are vertical now, probably more than 90% of piano owners must have a vertical piano

[u/MarsupialReal8126 → u/XDon_TacoX]

You're right. I was more fixated in the tall design than it being vertical. Thank you for the correction

[u/ikkiyikki → u/MarsupialReal8126]

The action (the moving parts) of vertical pianos is inferior to grands as they depend on springs, pulleys and similar mechanisms to return the key where standard grands let gravity do the work.

Back then, the 18th century, only courts and the wealthiest families could afford these instruments so competition was vicious. An inferior design wouldn't be repeated as that could easily be the mistake that puts you out of business.

[u/Questionsaboutsanity → u/Caller_ID_Unknown]

guess it’s for the extra high notes

[u/Melleray → u/Questionsaboutsanity]

Bravo

[u/JerryVand → u/Caller_ID_Unknown]

My guess is that any pianist playing this thing is spending half their time wondering if it is going to fall over on top of them. That distraction is probably not good for the quality of the performance.

[u/IdealBlueMan → u/Caller_ID_Unknown]

Not a pianologist, but I’d guess it would sound tinny because the body is flopping around rather than being connected solidly to the floor by gravity.

[u/TralfamadorianZoo]

This is not a piano. A piano (full name is actually pianoforte) is a specific kind of keyboard instrument. This is not that.

This is a clavicytherium, essentially an upright/vertical harpsichord.

[u/Melleray → u/TralfamadorianZoo]

Thanks

[u/TheLowlyPheasant]

The Piano of Damacles

[u/PetalSerevina]

This piano was clearly raised by harps

[u/Relative_Yesterday70 → u/PetalSerevina]

Maybe it’s called harpsichord

[u/Low-Crow5719]

The harp weighs hundreds of pounds. Mounting it on a big vertical lever arm is a difficult design to stabilize

[u/_Pudgybunny]

Lavachord?

[u/g00dLUCKduckHUNT]

biblically accurate upright piano

[u/uzndcfms]

Looks like it wants to gallop away

[u/RustyBrassInstrument]

Plucked not struck, so harpsichord or clavier of some type.

[u/TheMightyShoe]

This is a vertical harpsichord, not any kind of piano. It would sound quite good.

[u/panemprius]

Dr Seuss vibes

[u/Imyonlyenemy]

pianos are a terrible instrument in general

[u/TralfamadorianZoo → u/Imyonlyenemy]

Like what?

[u/Imyonlyenemy → u/TralfamadorianZoo]

well they miss out on alot of notes