[DaveM]

If you have a grand piano and a top-of-the-line upright piano as I did for several years, you will not find anything special about the upright. In fact, the upright will suffer by the comparison. After a number of years I sold the upright because I wasn’t using it. Not only is the sound of the grand far superior to an upright, the response of the keys is superior. Also, the left soft or una corda pedal works so differently on an upright that it is of limited or IMO no use (and can’t really be called ‘una corda’) after one experiences the benefit of its use on a grand.

 

[DaveM]

Respectfully disagree. I have a lovely 1925 Bechstein upright whose action, quality of tone and una corda pedal are at least as fine as their equivalents on the Kemble grand on which I have lessons. The grand does have a heft to its sound which isn't easy to achieve on the upright, but it's up to me as the pianist to find a way around that.

For one thing, I don’t know how the ‘una corda’ pedal on the upright can possibly be equivalent to the grand since it doesn’t do a true ‘una corda’.

Edit: Good luck trying to find a way around not only the lack of the relatively powerful sound of a grand, but the inferior tone of uprights compared to a good grand. Personally, I don’t think it’s possible.

 

[DaveM]

That's also true of even a grand most of us can afford. The vast majority of pianos won't hold up to a Steinway or Bösendorfer.

True, but the quality of the Yahama and even Kawai pianos are far superior to uprights and if one wants to play a Steinway or Bosendorfer when available, one will be better able to get the benefit of them if they have the education of a grand. And if one wants to record their own playing then there is just no comparison. I spent a few years recording my own playing on a grand and there is no comparable way of recording an upright as there is to sticking a high quality microphone over the harp of a grand.

Now I understand that not everyone can own a grand piano and I also understand that there are good uprights that sound and feel pretty good, but that doesn’t change the superiority of the grand.