KEYS WEEK 2023: The grand piano is probably one of the most coveted instruments out there, but also one of the least owned, purely down to the practicalities of having one. For a start you need space – lots of it – and a matching room, one that helps complement the sound of the instrument. Then you need the cash – these things don't come cheap, with some of the most expensive grands costing well into six figures. And then you need to be able to play it – using a grand to play 'Chopsticks' does rather feel like driving a Ferrari to the shops to buy a pint of milk. (We know – we've done both.)
However, software recreations of grand pianos have the answers to all of these practical issues. They take up no room like an acoustic piano – well, maybe a lot of Gigabytes on your hard drive, but you know what we mean – they cost a fraction of the real thing, and your playing is less of an issue when you're using a laptop and DAW to compose with them.
