The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word STEINWAY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
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N
W
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Y
More clues leading to the result STEINWAY
- It’s played using fingers in set order with style
- Mug with method, his work instrumental?
- Grand people in sweaty shifts
- Set out on popular route with instrument
- Grand people set out popular method
- Man of grand designs — mug with method
- Joanna, blessed female forming obstacle?
- Guy having red wine was a piano maker
- Yes, Twain altered name for a grand
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Grand people" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case grand people = steinway.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.