Tag Archives: dampers

How Do Dampers Work on the Piano? Why Do Pianos Have Dampers?

You probably know that the hammers are responsible for striking the strings on the piano and producing a sound. The dampers are the pieces of wood covered with felt that lie above the strings and are responsible for ending notes.

When you play a note on the piano the damper comes up so the hammer can strike the string and make a tone. When you let go, the damper falls back onto the string and mutes the sound. You might notice that when you hold down the damper or sustain pedal (the one on the right), all the dampers are released and will remain raised until you take pressure off the pedal leaving the strings free to vibrate and produce a long lasting tone.

When you press the damper pedal and all the dampers remain raised, it will make the tone echo inside the piano because of sympathetic vibrations. If you want to have some fun, try holding down the damper pedal and singing into your piano – the sound of your voice will echo around the piano for quite some time; it’s a fun trick you can share with family or friends.

The important thing about this is that you can affect the tone of a melody by using the pedal and keeping the dampers raised. When you play with the sustain pedal down you will get a much fuller tone.

What you might not know is that the sustenuto pedal, the middle pedal is a selective sustain pedal when it comes to dampers. When you depress some keys then press down and hold down the sustenuto pedal, the dampers above only those notes will remain raised. If you play other notes while continuing to hold down the sustenuto pedal, the dampers of new notes will respond like normal and fall back onto the strings once you let go of those keys even though the sustenuto pedal will continue allowing the original notes to sound. This is useful in music which would require 3 hands to play otherwise.

Generally, dampers will do what they are intended to do or not. That is to say, when they are down they should end a note and when they are up they should let a note sustain. If you have ever had notes hang up – keep playing after you let go of the keys and pedals, then you are in need of damper regulation to get them working correctly again. Damper regulation may be required if you hear buzzing at the end of notes. Dampers can be regulated but sometimes the felt becomes old, hard, and worn out and must be replaced in order to function properly. This is a very common problem on older pianos however, it can be fixed with the right technician.

One thing you might have noticed is that there are no dampers above the highest notes on the piano. You might wonder if this is a mistake or something intentional. The fact is, most of the notes that don’t have dampers simply don’t need them – they are not able to sustain long enough to necessitate dampers. The first note that has no damper is usually the 2nd to highest E on the piano. Sometimes on a very fine piano, notes in this register can last a very long time; without dampers there is really nothing you can do about this.

I hope this clarifies some aspects of this important part of the piano. Thanks for reading and watching and as always I welcome additional questions and comments.

How to Buy a Piano – Spotting Good Action.

There are many things to consider when purchasing a piano. The action is certainly important. The complexity of all of the parts working together in precision is awe inspiring. Interestingly, the action is the one part of a piano that can be restored to like-new condition to the vast majority of pianos. Of course, the level of performance is relative to the quality of the original design and manufacture. Many companies produce first-rate actions.

It is rare to replace an action. When you hear of people utilizing Renner action in a rebuilt piano, they are not putting in a new action, they are replacing all the worn parts. This accomplishes exactly the same results, but rarely do keys, keyframe and the basic structure deteriorate at all. (However, it could be possible with water or fire damage.)

The action is comprised of different elements that wear at different rates.

piano-bushings

Bushings: The keys pivot on rails in the front and back of each key. Around the rods are felt bushings. In time the felt becomes compacted and there is play in the keys. The front rails can be turned to achieve tighter tolerance since the rails are not round. Eventually the key bushings need to be replaced when there is too much play.

piano_hammers_strings

Hammers become worn from hitting the strings. The felt becomes compacted at the point of impact with the strings. They also become somewhat flattened out in time. They can be reshaped with filing and voiced by needling to get uniform tone. Eventually after many filings there is no more felt to work with and the hammers must be replaced.

piano_hammer_shanks

Hammer shanks and knuckles: Sometimes the joint that the hammer pivots on (the knuckle) becomes worn to the point that the hammer doesn’t hit the strings in exactly the same point each blow. That is when it becomes necessary to replace the knuckles and shanks.

piano_dampers

Dampers: Above the strings are the dampers. When the felt becomes hard, noises and inconsistencies in the termination of notes results. Often these problems can be regulated, but there comes a time when optimum results aren’t possible without replacing the felt.

piano_back_check

Back check: There is a leather piece that engages the hammer after the key is pressed. If the felt becomes hard, it can be roughed up to avoid excessive noise. If the leather is too hard it must be replaced too avoid action noise.

piano_key_punchings

Felt action rail and key punchings can harden and replacing is desirable.

whippens

Whippen: Now here is where it gets interesting! There are around 100 parts to the action and all the rest of them come pre-assembled in a piece called the whippen. So when rebuilding an action to new condition, there is nothing more to do than what I have listed.

First-rate parts are available from a variety of companies. The important thing is using the right parts that match the original specifications. When this is done, the performance of the action is indistinguishable from a new piano. When you hear of a “New Renner Action”, they don’t actually put in a whole new action, they are using Renner parts to rebuild the action.

Are the newer composite materials utilized in many Asian pianos superior to the traditional wood parts? Here is one clue to the answer to that question. Both Yamaha and Kawai use synthetic materials in their actions. However, their best pianos, Yamaha S series and Shigeru Kawai have all wood actions. In fact, other than Mason & Hamlin which is utilizing the questionable practice of sourcing pre-assembled composite actions and plates from China, no handmade piano uses synthetic materials in their actions!

The fact is, there are aspects to a piano that is fundamental to the quality of the instrument. Even the best action will wear out and need attention over time. But the soundboard, scale design, rim materials, bridge composition, string tension, and plate manufacturing process are intrinsic to the quality of the instrument. These things cannot be improved. So, when looking for a piano as a long-term investment, this is what is most important. That is why a hand-built piano cost more and are more valuable over time. It is also why it is not advisable to rebuild Asian production pianos. There is limited potential for what results are possible. Over time the basic structure of these instruments deteriorates because of the design and materials utilized in manufacturing allowing for the right price for mass marketing.

Robert Estrin
949-244-3729