Regardless of whether you need to know about recording for a music technology or production qualification, recording piano is something that Music departments will find themselves carrying out frequently for examination purposes. For student recitals, performances including GCSE, A levels and Nationals and Higher qualifications, the piano is likely to be a popular choice all round.
The main problem with a piano is that it is large, and the sound is generated across the entire instrument. Each of the 88 keys has up to three strings and the treble strings are an awful lot shorter than the bass ones. Trying to capture the complete range of the instrument using close-mic techniques is difficult because there are so many sound sources of differing sizes and volumes, that also happen to be close together.
However, there are a few things to consider that make the whole process easier. Firstly, think about how the piano is played. It is actually relatively uncommon for the extremities of the piano to be used. Although some composers regularly explore the outer reaches of the instrument, the vast majority of a pianist's time is spent playing in the centre – if you are intending to close-mic the piano, it is probably best to focus the microphones on the middle of the instrument.
Grand or upright
Recording upright and grand piano both have their difficulties. The grand piano tends to be larger with strings that rarely crossover, making it an instrument with a large surface area of sound.
The best method for close micing is to open the lid of the grand and place a stereo pair above the hammers, position these as high up as possible without touching the lid. This way the microphones are given the best chance of capturing the upper and lower end of the instrument, while still being focused on the middle of the keyboard.
An upright piano will usually be placed against a wall and therefore it is harder to get mics into a sensible position. However, don't be afraid to move a piano a little bit to make the soundboard accessible. My favourite method of recording an upright piano is to remove the front so that the strings and hammers are visible, recording either side of the performer's head. This is obviously more acceptable for recording coursework than a performance.
Ambient recording
These techniques are all based around close micing. However, if you have a nice recording space, free from any potential sound from other sources, it might be easier to record the piano ambiently. To do this, place a stereo pair of microphones above the middle of the instrument, the polar patterns of the mics, (the direction and strength of the microphone capture) will ensure that the rest of the instrument is captured accurately. This option will make for a much more natural sound.
If in doubt always rely on your ears: Ask yourself where the piano sounds best and then put the mics there. Nothing I can recommend is anywhere near as good as your own judgement on the day of recording, when you are aware of instrument, player and space. But hopefully with some of these techniques at hand, your next round of graded performances will note a definite improvement in recording quality.
