Imagine a small grand piano, but instead of the strings running horizontally, perpendicular to the floor, they run vertically, so you essentially have a grand piano that’s sitting at a 90 degree angle compared to the “average” grand. In most cases, the strings run all the way down to the floor, although the keyboard and pedals are right where you’d expect them to be. The earliest example was built by William Southwell in the 1800s. Needless to say, the style did not appeal to many players, though the space savings were substantial.
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