The spinet was mass-produced for a society experiencing the effects of the great depression and compromised sound quality for affordability. The typical spinet piano is not good and is known for its poor sound quality. The indirect action of the spinet makes for a poor playing experience and a ‘tinnier’ sound and harmonics. Upright pianos have superior sound, and the strings are responsive to key pressure. The shortened strings resulted in a limited range of harmony and diminished tonal quality. The shortened piano keys had poor leverage, and thus the player had limited control and sense of connection between the keys and sound. The diminutive size of the spinet compromised the sound considerably, and many spinet players encountered problems with the stickers. The piano keys are not linked directly to the action but instead drive rods that pull up levers that engage the action below the keyboard. The spinet operates by an indirect blow or drop action. Early spinets were highly ornamented, but the popular spinet of the 1930s usually had a lavishly burnished wood finish.Īlthough the spinet appears similar to the console piano in terms of size, the key differences lie within the piano’s workings. The spinet piano is a type of harpsichord typically 36-40 inches high measured from the base to the tallest portion of the piano case.
When smaller pianos without compromised sound came on the market, the spinet eventually fell into obscurity. Alternatively, some experts link the term spinet to the Venetian 17-century inventor Giovanni Spinetti.Īlthough some superior quality spinets do exist, the compromised sound of the ‘drop action’ mechanisms eventually lost the spinet its buying public. The word spinet may have been a reference to the quill-like mechanisms that plucked the piano strings. The word spinet may derive from the Latin term spinae or thorns. The spinet replaced the large and costly harpsichords manufactured in the 17 and 18 centuries, and the etymology of the word spinet has two probable sources. The Spinet piano has its origins as far back as 16th century Italy where it became popular in England and France. These smaller and more cost-effective pianos sacrifice sound for space and are no longer in manufacture. Spinets abound in attics and backrooms across the US where once they were a popular addition to middle-class households. However, these terms are adapted from the spinet piano, a 17th-century harpsichord with shortened keys and drop action operation. The word spinet may refer to various forms of furniture or diminutive objects such as the spinet desk or spinet dressing table.