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I have a son aged 11 years old that plays piano (Grade5) & Clarinet (Grade5). His piano lessons are on a Yamaha C7 and home tuition is on old upright wreck that is doing nothing but hinder him.

I am trying to decide on which piano to buy. I have done my research and settled on either a Yamaha U3 Upright or a Yamaha C3 Grand.

My concern relates to my son’s overall learning experience, plus whether by choosing an upright piano that I may be hindering him or not giving him the best opportunity to nurture his talent. Is there for an example any reason to say a child enjoys more or performs better having learnt on a quality grand piano rather than a quality upright?

Any thoughts welcome and appreciated…

I got a music degree on an upright and it never done me no 'arm, guvnor...seriously, if you get a good big U3 or something similar, then as long as it's well maintained and kept tuned and regulated, he will be just as well off as if he had a grand. And you'll have more space in your house - a grand writes off as much space as another dining table - and when he leaves home, he'll find an upright an awful lot easier to house in his little bijou flatlet than he will a grand! I've never owned a grand piano (we'd have to eat off it or sleep on it in our cottage) but have never felt hard done by!

Whilst I am not saying that a grand is always better than an upright, the actions are different, which means amongst other things that it is easier to repeat notes rapidly on a grand. The posture is different too as the pedals are usually closer on an upright.

If you have the space and the money, buy a grand - although I take Gill's point about your son maybe not being able to take it with him. Grade 5 at 11 means he has talent and he will increasingly be able to take advantage of the qualities a grand has which an upright has not got.

But if he gets a fit of angst, attitude and acne when he hits the teens, chucks it up to play the electric guitar and get his nose pierced,you'll get more money back on an upright than on a grand simply because they're easier to sell...

Hi Gill & Stuart.. Thanks for your postings

You’re right about the old teenage bit (xbox, texting, bling!.. to mention a few.. beyond me…), but I play and wouldn’t mind being left with a grand. Good point about leaving home, I hadn’t thought of that … Yep, the good upright v knackered grand is a consideration.

Have settled on the grand. I think its best given all the variables. He’s worked hard and feel is deserving. Looked at huge range Bluthner/Bechstein/Schimmell and son has settled on Yamaha C3, the Schimmell very close second. We're at the final stage of negotiation on price and hopefully will be happy owners of C3 soon

Thanks once again…. This website and postings have been invaluable… I’ll post the results…

PS .. He’s got an electric guitar and now developing the attitude to go with it… I suspect it may be wise to budget for a full-length mirror to compliment…. Bless him….

Get yourself some good ear plugs too

Timothy, if I let you adopt me, will you buy ME a grand...?

I would second that remark Gill, but at Timothy's sons age and with his talent, a grand is possibly a good investment in the future....but at my age and limited talents...oh never mind, it's all too depressing

None of that defeatist talk, woman - go and do some practice!

If only....I'm afraid the dreaded arthritis in wrist and knuckles is making it nearly impossible ...all I am able to do at the moment is try to play the pieces I already know, and I'm starting to have problems with them...wretched fingers just won't do as they are told. and after about 20 minutes the pain is so bad I have to stop.
It is so frustrating as in the past 2 years I had started playing properly again, challenging myself with pieces I never wanted to play as a child.
Any advice on how to continue playing with this dastardly condition would be greatly appreciated.
I had planned on requesting advice in a separate post, but responding to yours seemed the right time and place

O no, you poor thing... I had a piano teacher who swore by (and about) immersing her arthritic hands in hot wax...I have no idea if it worked, or if the idea of it worked, but she's still playing in her nineties. I've also heard about green lipped mussels from your neck of the woods being a successful treatment. Another customer of mine has had great success drinking honey and cider vinegar (bleah...)I think a lot depends on your pain threshold (some people just keep pushing themselves beyond it) so do what feels comfortable, I suppose. Although nothing will be comfortable, will it? If I hear of any more remedies, I promise I'll let you know. That's the beauty of this forum; there's bound to be help coming from every angle!

Olive Oil Geminoz.. My mother-in-law is Spanish and swears by it. She suffers from arthritis and also takes fish oil supplements… Mind you... If there’s any ailment, plenty of olive oil and fresh fish is her answer… I suspect this is why they live so long. My wife’s grandmother is 98 and has more brain cells left than me

No seriously, put a fair amount of olive oil on a green salad with a (little salt) and lemon juice to taste. Tuner in oil can also be added to the salad. Have as side dish or include in normal diet as main course. Keep it up for a couple of weeks and see how it goes… Make sure it’s a quality extra virgin olive oil tough, not the old cheapie stuff…

PS. Will only adopt… female 21-34 years old with Swedish or Norwegian accent! Piano playing not essential

Thanks guys for your advice ...I have heard about the green-lipped mussel (from New Zealand) - Lyprinol - and I am currently taking that, but apparently it takes a few weeks to work, and it doesn't come cheap.
I suspect any oil (fish, mussel or olive) is beneficial...so I will try anything and everything. I have extra virgin olive oil, I use it for bruschetta, so I will give that a try too. I'll drink it from the bottle if that will help
I am disgusted with myself...this condition only raised its ugly head a few weeks ago, although I suspect there have been indications which I chose to ignore until it became quite bad.
I refuse to let it defeat me...Today I managed half an hour so that's a slight improvement.
Thankfully I have a high pain threshold or I wouldn't be playing at all.
Darn it Timothy, I miss out on all counts.

Don't talk to him, Gem; he advocates eating tuners!!! (I don't know how you do this fancy extracting bits that people can do on their replies - you'll have to check or take my word for it...)Whatever did we do to upset him?

[quote="Gill Green"]Don't talk to him, Gem; he advocates eating tuners!!! (I don't know how you do this fancy extracting bits that people can do on their replies - you'll have to check or take my word for it...)Whatever did we do to upset him?[/quote]

If this works....you just click on quote.

When? Do you highlight the bit you want to quote, or what? Life is so much easier with a quill pen...

[quote="Gill Green"]When? Do you highlight the bit you want to quote, or what? Life is so much easier with a quill pen...[/quote]
Ummmmmm well I highlighted the last sentence, but it quoted all over it....maybe that's because it's all in one paragraph.

I'm off to buy some more ink and blotty...