Thanks Musicvid, I also had heard of piezo devices BUT they must be physically
attached to the sound board.

The peaks have been causing some problems when played double forte and took
me by surprise, and too late to readjust.

I didn't mention the piezo pickups because they are more often used for sound reinforcement rather than recording, they must be attached to the soundboard (as you mentioned), and are a specialty item. Most recording engineers prefer the natural sound of mics, even for stringed instruments that often have piezos already installed, such as string bass and harp.

The 57, on the other hand, is quick to set up, can be used for almost anything from drums to vocals, has a good sound, and even drive a nail in a pinch, according to legend.
Mark

There's thousands of ways and opinions to mic pianos. I usually use PZMs and the like when visuals are an issue.
I prefer an SM58 for hammering nails.

**I usually use PZMs and the like when visuals are an issue. **

PZM's? On the floor? Never heard of this for acoustic pianos although I have extensive experience with pzm and pcc floor mics in stage applications. How does this work with the restricted pzm pickup pattern and response curve? Are you using them for concert grands or uprights? In solo or symphony applications? Any details you can provide are appreciated.

Floor mics in my case would not work due to singers tapping (sometimes stomping)
on old wood floors. There is carpet but I still see music stand movement in the video.

This by the way is live and not studio where I could get some control of the recording.

On the floor?, Not what I meant. I usually tape a PZM or other boundary mic under the lid, on both uprights or grands, sometimes with some thin foam to dampen vibration if there's a heavy hitter. Not perfect but, what can you do when the powers-that-be don't want mics on camera.
I've had great results with a pair of Crown PCC-160s on a concert-grand. I got a photo of that set-up if someones' interested.

Yes, I could see a pzm on the rim of a concert grand picking up the reflection from the open lid, my only two questions being can the pzm handle the peaks and can the weighting be overcome in post (these mics are hot in the 2khz-4khz range for vocals), and sometimes seem a bit prone to harmonic distortion compared to less sensitive Shures.

In any case I am interested in trying this idea in my own applications, and any additional details you can provide as in how to handle them at the board level, etc. are appreciated. I would like to see your picture of the pcc setup. Many thanks.

P>S> RCourtney, I still suggest the overhead SM57 approach despite the turn this thread has taken. It's simpler and quite forgiving.