Piano and Music Videos

This question encompasses quite a bit of information, but it has value in presenting it all in one video – as these topics have a lot to do with one another. They are all essential when it comes to getting the most out of your piano and making sure it plays its best. Each one of these subjects can be incredibly detailed, and I may create more detailed videos and articles for each one of them – but for now, I will provide an overview of all three!

First, we will deal with Regulation. Regulation encompasses the myriad adjustments on the action which is the entire mechanism from the key to the hammer and dampers. Each key in the action has about 100 parts. There are approximately 8 different adjustments for each key: from key height, key depth when depressed, let-off of the hammer after it’s struck, to other details of hammer movement, and other adjustments affecting repetition, power and more.

The basic explanation of regulation is getting an evenness of touch for all of the keys on the piano. In other words, all 88 keys should have an equal touch when playing – no key should be harder or softer than another; no key should be higher or lower than another; the response must be identical for all keys.

When it comes to Voicing, it’s the same principle in keeping a consistent state for all notes. However, voicing deals with the tone of the piano, not the mechanics. Every key should have a consistent sound from one another. If the touch is the same but specific notes are brighter or more mellow in tone, it is impossible to get a smooth musical line since some notes will be out of place in the melody, either not matching volume, or tonally different in some way.

How is voicing achieved? Through working the hammers to get a consistent volume and tone from all keys. The felt on the hammers needs to be accomplished to get consistent tone on all notes. Several things affect the hammers including the shape, how it impacts the strings, and the hardness.

There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into voicing a piano. For example, if the hammers on some notes are too hard they will need to be needled; if they are too soft, they will need to be treated with chemicals, typically lacquer. This treatment will need to be performed on each hammer, and the response of each string within each note should also be uniform in tone.

Last we have Fine Tuning. A piano can be tuned, but there is something referred to as concert tuning. A concert tuning encompasses not only making sure the tuning is pure but making sure it will stay in tune! It’s not nearly as easy as it sounds. Fine tuning will require a technician to pound on the keys and make sure the piano won’t go out of tune even with a tremendous amount of force of a concert pianist playing virtuoso music.

I’ve also seen tuners who will fine tune a piano and then close everything up, hold down the sustain pedal, and then hit all the keys with their arms to excite the soundboard. The hope is that the strings can be reset securely to hold during the performance.

The truth is, there is no end to how far you can go with a piano. You can continue to make finer and finer adjustments and never really reach a real level of perfection. Like one definition of infinity, you can get halfway closer to perfection again and again with diminishing returns on time spent.

If you have ever had the opportunity to play a piano after it has been voiced, regulated, and fine-tuned, you will never want to play anything else! It really is that big a difference on a great piano.

You have probably heard about a pinblock and you might have wondered what it is. The pinblock is a fundamentally important part of the instrument. In fact, without a solid pinblock, you simply can’t tune your piano!

The big problem with the pinblock is that if it’s in bad condition and needs to be replaced you have only one option; rebuild the piano. You can learn about the process of rebuilding a piano in my video:

What’s the Difference between Rebuilding and Reconditioning a Piano?

You might have heard these terms used in describing used pianos. But exactly what is the difference between rebuilding a piano and simply reconditioning one? Is there a real distinction between the two? There definitely is.

Whether or not you will be looking at a rebuild or a reconditioning really depends upon the condition the piano is in. Generally, the distinction of rebuilding is when the cast iron plate of the piano is removed. Removing the plate is a very big deal – it requires an engine hoist; as the plate weighs more than the rest of the piano combined. When removing the plate, the strings, pins, and bolts are removed first. Then the plate is lifted out.

Rebuilding is necessary when the soundboard or pinblock are compromised. The reason for removing a plate is so important is that it allows the technician to get to the belly of the piano. The soundboard can be refinished; it can be shimmed if necessary, and when the plate is put back in it can be placed precisely for ideal down bearing – the tension the strings exert on the bridge. You also have the option to rebuild the plate to make it look like new. Really, removing the plate allows you to rework the inside of the piano giving new life to a piano with problems.

Another good reason to rebuild a piano is if the pinblock needs to be replaced. If the piano has been restrung a number of times it is important to replace the pinblock because larger pins are used every time you restring a piano and you reach a practical limit in pin size. Also, the pinblock can sometimes develop cracks which effects tuning stability.

If the soundboard and pinblock are in good shape, there is no benefit in rebuilding the piano. In fact, you can restring the piano, rework the bridges, and even rebuild the action, refinish the cabinet and re-bush the pedals all without technically rebuilding the piano. However, such a piano might be just as solid and potentially long-lasting as a rebuilt piano. It all depends upon what each instrument needs in order to play at a high level for years to come.

When a piano is in tune such as the glorious instrument in the accompanying video, you hear the beautiful tone, and you may wonder when to get your piano tuned. How do you know when it’s time to get your piano tuned. It’s not as easy a thing as you might think. So I’m going to liken it to a couple of different things. If any of you play guitar, you know that every time you take it out, you tune it up. In a perfect world, you would do the same thing with your piano! Since there are over 200 strings to tune, it’s not practical.

So there are certain guidelines much like with your car when you get the oil changed, you have an odometer reading, but there’s also a date. So even if you don’t drive your car, it’s still recommended you change the oil periodically. The same thing is true for your piano. Your piano might sound fine to you, but maybe it’s been a year or two since it’s been tuned. It’s very important to get it tuned because the whole piano could shift up or down and might sound good within itself but the instrument will not be able to hold the tuning without several more tunings to get the pitch stable again.

The Piano Technicians’ Guild recommends a piano ideally should be tuned about four times a year, a minimum of twice. Why is that? It’s very simple: the change of seasons affects the tuning of your piano. Even if you don’t play your piano, it’s got to be tuned a minimum of a couple of times a year and in most climates four times a year is close to ideal. If you play the piano a great deal, every time you play, it goes out a little bit – especially if you’re a strong player and practice a great deal. You might even consider monthly tunings of your piano. You might think this gets very expensive. But in the long run, like changing the oil in your car, the more you tune your piano, the better you preserve the instrument and the more stable the tuning becomes.