Steinway Square Grand

Grand pianos come in two shapes:  the familiar wing shape, and a rectangular shape referred to as square.  Square grands are no longer made, which is why you don't see them often, but they were made as often as their wing-shaped cousins for more than half of the piano's 300 years of existence.  If you do see a square grand, it is likely to be pretty old.

This is one of many squares that I have maintained over the years.  It was made by Steinway in 1864, and it is in splendid condition.  It is not quite seven feet across, with a rosewood case, 88 keys, and two pedals.  The left pedal is a moderator pedal; it moves a rail with a thick strip of felt between the hammers and the strings to soften the sound.  It has two bass bridges, a tenor bridge, and a long, tightly curved treble bridge.  The tuning pins have oblong rather than square ends.

The regular wing-shaped grand has its strings more or less parallel with the keys, running from the keyboard back to the tail.  The square grand has its strings more or less transverse to the keys, running from left to right.  The wing shape evolved from the harpsichord.  There were also square harpsichords (called virginals), but the square grand evolved from the rectangular clavichord.  Wing grands stand on three legs, square grands on four.  The lid of a wing grand is hinged on the straight left side, and on a square is hinged along the back.

As did the wing grands, square grands became bigger and bigger over time.  Unlike the wing grands, square grands did not scale up well.  The transverse string pattern had to be fanned out such that the bass strings run left to right, but the extreme treble strings run parallel to the keys.  This requires a similar fanning of the hammerhead angles, key length, and damper felts, making regulation a nightmare.  More and more of the tuning pins were placed at the far back side of the piano, making tuning a nightmare.  Three or more bridges were needed to accomodate the stringing pattern, and the treble bridge developed a tight curve just at the point where the fanned strings all come together, creating a deadly weakness in the bridge.



What people liked about the square grand was that it was less expensive, and fit more easily in a small space - you could tuck it right into a corner.  When upright pianos finally became serious instruments, they took this advantage away from square grands, and by the late 19th century, manufacturers stopped making squares.  Or they wished they could stop making squares, because uprights were more profitable, yet demand for squares lingered.  The manufacturers made a statement:  in 1904, at a professional meeting in Atlantic City, they built a giant bonfire of square grands.  Even at that, I have come across a 1930's square grand made by Mathushek, an attempt at modernizing the square.

Square grands are not common, but they are not rare, either.  Many were made, and there is nothing particularly valuable about them.  You can get them easily for free, so don't get suckered by an antiques dealer.  They do not and will never feel or sound like modern pianos.  It can cost a fortune to fix or rebuild them because nothing about them is standard, everything has to be custom made or jury-rigged, the work is very labor-intensive, and therefore expensive.  Many technicians refuse to go near them.  There will be no return on your investment.

They are sometimes very pretty, always awesome, and make great conversation pieces.  They are often turned into desks and tables.  I've seen the legs turned into pedestals or small side tables.  If a square grand is in good condition, and you can find a willing technician, and can afford the repair, it can be a lovely and satisfying instrument.

Technician tips, click here . . .

Tips for Technicians

For tuning, remove the damper mechanism.  It comes out as a single piece.  First remove the stop rail, which is held in place with three or four knurled nuts.  Then slowly rotate all the dampers up, being careful not to catch any levers on the stop rail bolts, snapping them.  Holding the dampers clear of the bolts, remove the knurled bolt on the left, and gently lift and slide the mechanism to the left to slip the right pin out of its hole.  Place the mechanism on a horizontal surface, where it won't be stepped on.  Resume breathing.

If you have an oblong adapter, you can try using it.  I prefer a threaded oblong tip, but I hate trying to remove the tip of my regular tuning lever, it's usually jammed on pretty good.  I have a spare extension rod with a short head for getting into tight places.  That tip comes off easily, so I remove it and attach the oblong tip.  Then I slip that rod into the tuning handle, except when tuning the upper treble section, where it's easier to just use the naked rod.

For the treble section, hold the tuning lever at its end with your fingertips rather than trying to grip the whole handle.  As you lean way over, keep your shoulders relaxed, use your back as a cantilever.  Take breaks to stand and stretch.  Pay very close attention to which string goes with which pin so you don't snap a string.  The tuning pins are often labeled; wipe the dust away to see.  Believe me, you don't want to have to replace a string.  The string tension is quite low, so there's no point trying to stretch octaves.  For tapping in a loose tuning pin, hold the pin with a small adjustable wrench, leaving the top of the pin slightly above the wrench.  Then lightly tap the pin with a small hammer.

The most common adjustment needed is to correct rubbing hammerheads, and the most common repair is of the thread loops for the jack springs.  Both require removing the action.  If you need to correct rubbing hammers, mark which hammers need shifting.

Remove the keyslip by lifting it up.  Using a T hammer with a standard square tip, remove the three or four bolts holding the action in place from underneath the case.  Figure out where you're going to put the action before you remove it.  A card table works well.  I often work with it on the floor.  It will not fit on a piano bench.  Gently slide the action out of the case.  Slide it out perfectly straight and level.  It is big and floppy, so be careful.  Set it down.

Adjusting the hammers is straightforward, you'll see the problems right away.  If the leathers have worn through and the remains are flapping around, just remove them.  Only move the hammers that need it, don't get hooked into moving all the hammers around or you'll mess up the alignment with the strings.  If a center pin has slipped out, it may need replacing.  Perhaps the hammer butt has a split that needs gluing.  There is usually some mechanism for adjusting the friction on the center pin, so check that.

The jack spring thread loop is underneath the rocker that the jack is attached to, so you need to remove the key.  First, remove the nameboard, usually by removing two big screws at either end.  Then remove the hammer of the note whose key you wish to remove.  Make sure the jack is pushed down flat against the key.  Lift the key until it clears the balance rail pin.  This is easier to do in the treble than in the bass.  Then begin sliding the key forward.  Tilt it so the backcheck can clear the various obstructions.  Most of the time this works if you persevere.  If the backcheck is rotted, it may fall apart, and you may have to make a new one, so note how it is made.  Once the key is out, remove the rocker and replace the thread in the usual manner.  Make sure there is enough spring tension to make the jack return smartly.  After reassembly, check the key for lost motion.  There should be a little bit.  The hammer should sit on the rest felt, not be lifted above it.  Adjust the lost motion by turning the screws on the rocker.  Slightly loosen one screw first, then tighten the other.  Often one of the screws is obscured under a rail, so you can try lifting the key and pulling it out just enough to expose the screw.

When you are done with repairs and adjustments, carefully slide the action back in, keeping it straight and level.  About halfway in, stop.  Check under the plate in back to make sure that the hammerheads at the ends of the sections will not bump into any part of the plate.  Check all the jacks to make sure they are in the right position; if you had lifted or removed any hammers while repairing, the jacks probably flipped down, out from under the butts.  If so, just push the jacks back into place.  Make sure the hammerheads have room to pop up as you do this.  Finally, if you forgot to put the nameboard back in, now's your chance.

Resume sliding the action in.  If you feel resistance when it is almost all the way in, it is the damper wires having trouble getting back on the felt cushions that are glued to the keys.  Don't force the action in, you'll either pop the cushions off or bend the damper wires.  Go as far as you can, with a little pressure, then lift the damper wires from above until the offending wire comes free.  Then try sliding the action again.  You may have to do this a few times.  Consider adjusting the wire by rotating the leather rest nut and praying that it doesn't turn to powder in your fingers.  Or maybe leave the wire nuts alone.
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