Nelson asks if piano actions get easier to play as the piano ages. He noticed that over time his Yamaha piano became easier and easier to play. Do piano actions actually get lighter as you continue to play them? There is no absolute yes or no answer to this question, but there are certain fundamentals that are important to understand.
The first thing to be aware of is that when you buy a brand new piano, the felt bushing will eventually loosen up over time – and fairly quickly if you play a lot. Each key sets in motion nearly 100 parts. Wherever there is friction, there are felt bushings. Over time they will loosen up.
On the other hand, if you don’t play your piano much, the parts can actually get stiff and harden up over time. A humid environment can make the felt bushings swell slowing things down as well. A piano technician will typically lubricate parts of the piano action. If the piano isn’t played, dust can accumulate inside the piano and make the action gum up making it harder to play.
If you practice a lot or play your piano every day it will actually get easier to play the instrument over time. Why is this? Every time you hit a key on a piano there is a felt hammer that impacts the strings. As time goes by, the hammers will get grooves in the felt as they continue to strike the strings. This becomes compacted felt which is hard and produces a bright, brittle tone with little effort. So, even if the piano is physically no easier to play, you will get much more sound out of the instrument with the same effort making it seem easier to play. The way to deal with this phenomenon is to have a qualified piano technician reshape the hammers by filing them to create the original egg shape which produces a warm, projecting tone. Over time when the hammers have been filed a number of times, they will have less mass making the action lighter.
The only reason a piano action would get heavier is if you don’t play it a lot. Otherwise, with regular play and maintenance, your piano will generally become easier to play.
On some older Steinway pianos, they were using a paraffin solution that can cause a condition called verdigris where the action may become very sluggish and the piano might feel considerably heavier. However, this is generally not a problem to worry about except on certain vintages of Steinway pianos. The only real way to remedy this issue is to have a technician perform skilled work on it (which might only relieve your issue temporarily) or replace some action parts.
Thanks for the great question Nelson, if any of you have any questions or comments please contact us directly at: info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.