C. BechsteinModel B

C. Bechstein Model B — a Berlin salon grand of 200 cm, black high gloss, 88 keys, two pedals.

The Model B is the large salon grand of the classic Bechstein range, standing between the apartment sizes and the concert instruments. Two metres of length mean bass strings no upright can reach and a soundboard that fills a large room; only a concert grand gives noticeably more. A grand's action repeats faster than an upright's because the hammers fall back under gravity — trills and rapid repeated notes run more easily. The right pedal holds the note; the left shifts the action so that the hammers strike fewer strings and the tone grows slimmer. There is no middle sostenuto pedal; anyone who needs one in the score should know that.

Intended for the advanced pianist, for the teaching studio, the chamber-music room and the small hall. For a beginner it is too much grand.

A grand stands free in the room, the open lid to the player's right. At 200 × 146 cm it needs about four square metres including somewhere to sit, and it weighs well over 300 kg — only piano movers will get it through doors and up stairs, on its side and with the legs off. Keep it away from radiators and direct sun. The high-gloss surface shows fingerprints; a soft dry cloth is enough. If you play in the evening and have neighbours, a Silent System can be fitted and you practise with headphones on the same action.