Warm vs. Bright Pianos: What's the difference?

[@ashpreet.singh07]

i love how ive searched the entire internet for this video and ur the ONLY PERSON who has made this video ur so underrated

[@crispindry]

As a beginner considering a purchase this video has helped enormously, I have heard the terms but didn't understand what they meant, Thank you.

[@massud-8612]

You guys make high quality content, I appreciate that. And Max is a great pianist!

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Definitely one of the best explanations of bright vs. warm. The conclusion is excellent as you said there are pianos that blend both qualities. I'd argue many do. Because they're use sometimes as a general descriptor, I'm not a fan of the two descriptions, however. Bright and warm are odd expressions to use. The contrast to bright is dark. The opposite of warm is cool Cool is not used..Bright has more treble, warm has more bass. But the terms can be somewhat misleading because you can have brighter trebles and more pronounced basses higher in the lower ranges on pianos that tend darker opposed to deeper lower basses and less pronounced mid to high trebles on pianos that tend "brighter."

[@familypianoco]

Really like your thoughtful comment! It's definitely true that warm and bright are far from perfect terms but work as a decent short hand way to categorize in broad strokes different piano sounds, which language alone cannot adequately do. It'd be similar to asking someone to describe an exact shade of a color, words can bring you some level of understanding but can't put the absolute right image in your head. The complex and sometimes conflicting attributes that make up a piano's sound, at the end of the day, are best not described but listened to. But any attempt that can help people to better understand, think about, and categorize what they are hearing is a worthwhile undertaking despite the limitations. Take care, friend. -Max

[@benjaminsmith2287]

@@familypianoco It is indeed difficult. Thank you, Max.

[@Frances6889]

From what Benjamin said "warm and dark" just like we use to describe for the piano tonal quality in Taiwan. However, these terms have been misleading and interpreted into positive and negative when people selected the piano long time ago. So, before 1990, Yamaha pianos were the majority of consuming (nearly 85%) on the market. Taiwanese people have learned the dark tone pianos fitted in classical music better afterword. I personally like Kawai pianos for their dark tones(mellow and rich).

[@Frances6889]

By the way, I always played on Yamaha pianos until fully understood the characters between them, bright and dark.

[@gizelop8481]

Thank you for your excellent explanations of bright verses warm piano, it has been hard for me to descriptively explain the difference, you finally settled it for me

[@vickigreene4288]

This is a great video on the difference between bright and warm! Very educational. Thank you!

[@TheBassD]

Thank you Max! Definitely the best warm/bright comparison and description I’ve come across. This helped me realise my preference for brighter pianos

[@shiniepham89]

Appreciate how much work you put in helping us understand this! ❤

[@familypianoco]

Thanks, and I appreciate you watching! -Max

[@cscbandboosters]

Great video, which highlights the difficulty of using words to describe sounds. The examples were the best part of the video, as viewers can use their own words to put context to the words. BTW - I suggest the fundamental difference in the bright / dark tones would be evident in the shape of the sound waive, warm towns having softer edges closer to a sin wave, and brighter tones having sharper edges closer to a sawtooth. Both need treble frequencies for clarity and the attack is a function of hammer density and weight rather than tone. If I were picking words for that, I would use "bellish" for the rounder warmer tone, and "twangy" for the sharper edged brighter tone. Just my two cents as an audio engineer, not a piano tech.

[@familypianoco]

Thank you for watching! Great comment, I totally understand what you mean by "bellish" and "twangy" - I like those terms! In general, I think people should be using whichever terms are most easily understood by the most amount of people and have alternative terms like you suggested for getting even more specific. For example, "Bellish" makes me think of a certain type of warm, a very smooth but full toned type of warm. "Twangy" works great for many more rustic, "older" bright sounds but I'd argue it wouldn't be the best term for the type of brightness a newer, high quality piano might have (I'm thinking of the sort of sound bright, newish Yamaha grands often have, for example). Always love hearing from audio engineers with a detailed understanding of sound from a scientific perspective. I recently downloaded a decibel reader/sound analyzer app and think I'll do some experimenting on what the frequency graphs look like for different types of pianos. Who knows, could make for a good part two to this video!-Max

[@wayneli8412]

Great explanation! I always confused about the adjectives before a piano like rich, warm, mellow ...

[@familypianoco]

Glad it was helpful! There's a lot of imprecise language thrown around pianos, which makes it difficult to really talk about what you're hearing.

[@Scriabin_fan]

I like pianos that are warm in the bass and bright in the trebble

[@westernkentucky5956]

What an excellent walk-through of very important piano as an entity. I learned what can be changed on a piano and what cannot be changed. Also, I learned more how to listed for a warm piano and a bright one. Excellent descriptions!

[@familypianoco]

I'm very glad you found it helpful! -Max

[@TKDGal76]

Wow, a great video, thank you for this. I tend to lean towards warm pianos but I can hear a bit of less distinct tones in the base, but sometimes the brighter pianos are ear piercing. I don’t enjoy that sound

[@familypianoco]

Glad it was helpful! My personal preference is for warmer pianos but in the last few years I've come to really appreciate a bright-in-the-right way piano, especially depending on the music being played. Too bright and it can definitely be ear piercing for me too. -Max

[@elijahjonas1]

Excellent explanation! Thank you!

[@familypianoco]

Thank you for watching! -Max

[@ashpreet.singh07]

i definitely prefer warmer pianos

[@atveriss]

Waaay better!

[@thebig12conference73]

Me too I’m a classical master level and that’s why I have a Yamaha E1 because Yamaha is known for warm notes. It depends on what genre you’re playing like perhaps or pop music or jazz maybe the bright pianos are better and it is better for Sticato compositions. The war music is more legato so it’s better suited for classical music I thought Kawaii only made Digital pianos this ST 1 must be really new. I bet it’s gonna cost less than that $7400 Yamaha you want I paid for😂

[@Snowsuiss]

Everything sounds good, including your voice

[@nikosz66]

The brighter piano has more clear voices. Nice playing btw !

[@Strife2919]

Thank you for making this video 🙂

[@MarkWeathers-vr6mr]

This is important. I have a Charles Walter Upright and It has that warmer but more velvety sound. I do hope to invest in a grand one day for my teaching studio, and I am leaning towards either warmer. I’m not a fan of the Yamaha brightness but they are good pianos to play as they are work horses.

[@SuperFS11]

Nice explanation. Been deciding if when I get a grand piano if I want it more or less bright. Can you do a video for grand pianos also please?

[@familypianoco]

Good idea! In the mean-time, I'd recommend going to a piano store and basically just playing a bunch of pianos. It really helps to experience them in-person.

[@mfurman]

It is very interesting. Very good video and I like your playing style. Perhaps you could consider better placement of microphones or perhaps some sound engineering (first part of the video). Thank you.

[@grandemusic3955]

This is what i'm looking for

[@abath07]

I like it in the middle between “bright” and “dark”. Kawai at 22:54 is the best in this video, he says it’s warm and velvety. In my vast experience shrill and dull are the common tones in most pianos. I like it in the middle with clarity and warmth, which is hard to find. It’s expensive and labor intensive (many hours to change tonal color) . Often times it’s not practical to change the tone very much, changing hammers and strings is Very expensive. it is what it is.

[@familypianoco]

A complete restring and new hammers isn't the only way to change a piano's tone! And while you're not going to make a warm piano bright this way, you can definitely change its tonal characteristics with a voicing. We can usually get that done for around $300, and people tend to be really happy with the results. Find a good technician in your area, and give them a call -- you might be surprised to hear it's not as expensive as you think. In either case, a couple hundred bucks is still cheaper than a new piano!

[@thepeppes92]

Warm 4ever

[@edwarddejong8025]

Camera is jittering and changing exposure a bit too frequently. time to upgrade!

[@nithishsorock]

Trust me this video helped me select car audio system. thanks

[@familypianoco]

Was not expecting that but so happy it helped! -Max

[@CarlaJorge-t4s]

Do you have any idea if an elizabeth piano made in England with Schwander Germany internals, bright or warm? I received one from a family friend which requires full restoration.

[@familypianoco]

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with that brand sorry, they must be very rare here in Chicagoland. -Max

[@keys6]

I prefer a warmer tone... I tried many pianos before I bought mine... I disliked the bright...sharper...tone... some of the Yamahas I tried were bright like this... not my preference... my daughter has an old Knight piano... ultra warm!

[@familypianoco]

Knight pianos are very nice quality, I'm pretty impartial towards them myself! -Max

[@keys6]

@Family Piano Co aaah...that's great... hers is also in top notch condition! 6 monthly tuning helps that!

[@hugow_b]

Really cool, i want a bright piano, but idk where i could get one

[@familypianoco]

Well, we do ship all over the country. . . . Haha, try a local dealer! "Bright" is subjective so you'll want to hear it and assess its tone for yourself.

[@steppertNL]

shame you didnt play the opened up akai. that offcourse makes it a lot more open en bright. i did record quite a bit on my 100 year old k132 and theres a big difference closed and opened up. either only the top or the top and front.

[@DDDY-kf3yv]

Good informative video. however i have yet to hear any upright style of piano that i like.

[@familypianoco]

Fair enough, hard to beat a grand piano at the end of the day. I've played a few specific uprights I've liked better than many grand pianos out there but in general yes the grand usually wins out. -Max

[@link1day]

Due to an unusual circumstance my new piano was not heard before I received it. Unfortunately it is a very bright one. It is my hope that a grand transformation into a warm sound can be made. If not, the piano will be a terrible mistake that could’ve been avoided easily

[@familypianoco]

I'm sorry to hear that! You might talk to your technician about "voicing" your piano, which is basically the process of making a piano sound brighter or warmer, primarily by affecting the hardness of the hammers. You'll want to find someone experienced in voicing, but it should help!

[@moebarragan1681]

I would describe my piano as having a deeper sound to it. Not sure where that falls on the bright/warmth category.

[@familypianoco]

Usually deeper is associated with warmer sounds but depends what exactly you mean by deeper. -Max

[@USNAVDC]

The Kohler and Campbell sounds too harsh for my ears. The Kawai sounds a bit muddy at times, but I think I prefer the Kawai. I wish there was a Steinway in the mix.

[@familypianoco]

I picked two pianos pretty far on the extremes of bright and warm for easier comparison in this video. Oftentimes Steinways will have a more complex tone that defies easy categorization. -Max

[@amralshaghouri8110]

Do you agree that Bluthner has managed to have the benefits of both?

[@debankur007]

I play Indian classical hence a warmer tone is required.

[@familypianoco]

Super! Different genres and styles demand different tones. We wish pianos were like guitars where it was easy to own a bunch. Digital pianos is about the best solution we have to that until we invent a shrink ray hahaha.

[@adamvarghesesatish3337]

For playing in a church where others will be singing and with other instruments, will bright or warm sound better

[@familypianoco]

Hello! Typically, pianists prefer a brighter sound, so it'll stand out a little more amongst the other instruments. But part of it will depend on the environment. An environment with lots of hard surfaces will brighten up the sound, whereas one with lots of soft materials will soften and warm up the sound.

[@joonjeong4878]

It would be better to compare the sounds without talking first

[@thebig12conference73]

As an expert classical ppanisr. I could have a non- bray grand but i got a Yamaha U1. The reason is Yamaha’s are more on the warm side. Tammy it depends on what you want to use like if you want to play pop music maybe bright would be better but if you like classical then warm would be bette The bright has a sticato feel the warm has a lefato feel it is musician’s preference.

[@gregorygibson3287]

Amazing explanation. Thank you so much!

[@WoodbabyCYL]

Fr i needed this so bad😂