Optimal Piano Placement: Room Size, Acoustics & Climate

How and, above all, where should I set up the piano? This is a question you should think about before buying a new instrument. The same goes for moving into a new home. After all, a piano needs to be placed in a way that allows it to produce sound properly and stay in tune for as long as possible. And of course, it should also fit the room aesthetically.

If you haven’t put much thought into this before delivery, the piano builder will point out the weaknesses of your chosen location during their first visit at the very latest. One thing is certain: You will most likely not find the perfect spot. Still, there are a few important factors to keep in mind if you want to set up your piano correctly.

Placing Your Piano Correctly: Sound & Space

Once you’ve decided on an upright or grand piano, sound becomes a top priority. Therefore, it’s no surprise that room acoustics play a major role in choosing the right location. But what conditions should a room meet in order for your piano to develop its optimal sound?

1. Match the piano to the room! First and foremost, the size of the piano should be appropriate for the room. A large instrument can easily feel overpowering in a space that’s too small. Conversely, it’s rare for a piano to be too small for a typical living room. This doesn’t mean a larger instrument can’t be worthwhile. As a general guideline, avoid placing an upright taller than 120 cm in rooms smaller than about 20 m².
2. Room acoustics matter more than room size. They are one of the key factors in how well an instrument can reveal its full sound response.

Piano – Height – Sound: More tips on acoustics and choosing the appropriate piano height.

Positioning the Piano Correctly: Acoustics

Two physical phenomena largely shape a room’s acoustics: sound reflection and sound absorption. The balance between the two, determined by a room’s interior design and furnishings, has a decisive influence on how your piano will sound. How do unfavorable acoustic conditions affect an instrument’s tone, and how can you recognize them?

1. Avoid excessive sound absorption! If a room contains too many soft or irregular surfaces, the incident sound is partially absorbed. Higher overtones are dampened more strongly, causing the instrument to sound muffled, dull, and lacking in resonance. In such an environment, subtle tonal shading has little audible effect: Fine gradations simply vanish. Practicing or performing with nuanced control becomes noticeably more difficult.
2. Avoid excessive sound reflection! Conversely, if a room contains many hard, smooth surfaces, the sound reflects too strongly. When reflection dominates, the instrument will sound harsh, overly bright, or intrusively loud. Even if your mezzopiano playing has a pleasing tone, a spirited fortissimo may quickly become overwhelming and unenjoyable.

Correcting excessive sound absorption or reflection is actually quite straightforward. You adjust the room in ways that enhance the opposite acoustic characteristic. If a space sounds dull and lifeless, you need to increase sound reflection. Adding more smooth, hard surfaces provides the necessary reflective area for sound to develop properly.

If a room has too much sound reflection, you can improve the acoustics by introducing sound-absorbing materials. You don’t need to turn your home into a recording studio. Many everyday furnishings already have beneficial acoustic properties that you can make use of.

It’s All About Finding the Right Balance!

To properly position your piano, you should aim for a balanced mix of acoustic properties. Absorption and reflection—the yin and yang of choosing an ideal acoustic setting—work together to shape the instrument’s sound response in the room. Curtains covering a window front, for example, are a practical and living-room-friendly solution. If you need more reflective surfaces, simply draw the curtains aside.

A Bookshelf as an Acoustic Element?

Do you have a bookshelf in your living room? Perfect! It’s an ideal location for placing your piano nearby. Bookshelves have surprisingly effective acoustic properties. Not only do they absorb sound butthey also act as diffusers: The uneven surfaces of book spines scatter the incoming sound waves in different directions. Here’s a simple rule of thumb that is sure to please anyone who dislikes meticulous tidiness: The more irregular the spacing between the spines, the better the bookshelf functions as a diffuser.

A great example of the acoustic effect around bookshelves can be heard in the Tiny Desk Concerts at NPR Music. In this video, jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant appears with the wonderful pianist Sullivan Fortner. Great performance, great sound.

Positioning Your Piano Correctly: Climate

The second essential factor in choosing the right location for your piano is the indoor climate. Upright and grand pianos are highly sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Unsurprising, given that they are built from materials that respond strongly to environmental changes. Most notably, wood reacts to humidity.

If certain temperature and humidity levels are not monitored and maintained, cracks can (and often will) form in the wooden components. Glue joints may loosen under repeated expansion and contraction. If humidity remains too high for extended periods, mold can develop. Even the metal elements inside the piano depend on stable climatic conditions: Excessive moisture leads to condensation and oxidation, while strings exposed to direct sunlight will lose pitch stability quickly.

Pay Attention to Room Temperature and Humidity!

Climate-related material problems with pianos can manifest in many ways: From rattling, creaking, buzzing, and broken strings to tuning instability, sluggish or sticking keys—the list goes on. So, when does a piano actually “feel” comfortable? The most important factors are stability and consistency. Ideally, there would be no fluctuations in humidity or temperature, no drafts, and no direct sunlight.

The optimal room temperature is around 20°C, with a relative humidity of about 50%. These values are not absolute; what matters far more is avoiding significant swings. Every change in humidity affects the moisture content of the wood, and as it expands or contracts, the aforementioned issues may occur.

Certain structural features in a home can lead to greater fluctuations. For example, underfloor heating does not have the best reputation among piano technicians. Since the temperature changes directly affect the instrument from below, problems are likely to arise over time. Similarly, placing a piano against an exterior wall can be problematic. However, in modern, well-insulated homes, this is usually less of a concern.

Positioning Your Piano Correctly: The Perfect Spot

As mentioned at the beginning, it’s usually difficult to find the ideal spot that meets every criterion. You’ll almost always need to make a few compromises. However, there is a suitable location for a piano in almost every home. After all, a piano technician can ultimately compensate for both acoustic and climatic shortcomings to a certain extent using various measures.

Further Reading

Some of these threads have been online for quite some time, yet they remain highly relevant:

Dampen sound for neighbours – reddit

Fireplaces and Pianos – pianoworld.com

Where is your piano / keyboard in your home? – reddit