Tag Archives: piano parts

How Many Parts are There in a Piano?

It’s fascinating to think about how many parts there are in the average piano. Think about how many string there are, how many keys there are, and then how many moving parts are involved with each press of a key; it’s daunting to think of just how many parts there are in a piano!

A typical scale design has around 220-240 strings. In the bass section there are 1 or 2 strings per note. Each one of these strings has a tuning pin as well. We haven’t even gotten past the strings and we already have hundreds of parts!

Most notes on a piano have dampers and damper heads (hundreds more parts). Consider the furniture of the piano, the rim, lid, prop stick, legs, the pedals, and more, and there is the soundboard, pinblock, agrafes, bridges and plate.

Believe it or not, we haven’t even scratched the surface for the parts on the piano! The action of the piano is where the majority of the parts are. When you push a key on a piano you are setting in motion around a hundred parts – that’s for each key!

So how many parts are there on a piano? Around 12,000! Hopefully this gives you a better appreciation of just how complex these instruments are and what it takes to build and service a piano. Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Are Ivory Piano Keys Worth Anything?

One of the most common questions we get here at the store pertains to ivory keys and whether or not they are worth money. Since ivory is scarce today – and also illegal to buy/sell in many instances – it seems that they might be valuable on the second-hand market. This is not exactly the case.

First of all, when we talk about the white piano keys, we are referring to the keytops and not the keys themselves. Most of the piano keys are made out of wood and a cover of ivory or plastic is placed on top and in front of the keys. The pieces of ivory or plastic that go over the wooden keys are very thin. So, as a source of raw ivory, you are not working with much material when it comes to a single key top.

The biggest problem you are going to face is that selling ivory is illegal. Ripping the key tops off a piano and trying to sell them by themselves is not a good idea. For example, if you even try to list a product with ivory on eBay the listing will be removed – they simply don’t allow it. You also can’t transport ivory overseas and in some cases even in the United States, you may be prevented from selling ivory across state lines. So the market for selling ivory keys tops is very limited.

So what can you do with ivory keys you don’t need?

The best thing you can do is give them to your piano technician. Many times a technician will keep some ivory key tops with them in case one needs to be replaced on a piano. No two ivories are the same. However, there is a possibility they can match a key to an existing piano when a key top needs to be replaced if they have a big enough collection of old ivories of different sizes and hues.

Before the laws tightened, a set of ivory keys could have been worth thousands of dollars. There is some today who still sell them. You should use caution when dealing with ivory since the laws can be complex.

Thanks again for watching and please send any comments or suggestions to us directly: Info@LivingPianos.com

Do Piano Actions Get Lighter with Age?

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.

The Mystery of the Piano Fallboard… Will it ever be solved?

To answer this question honestly, the fallboard doesn’t really do anything of major importance on a piano. Its main function is to cover the keys of the piano and prevent them from accumulating dust. But is there more to the fallboard than this simple explanation?

A very common question I get asked from time to time is whether or not there are fallboard injuries and if people should invest their money into a slow close fallboard. On some new pianos, you will find a slow close feature on the fallboard – this is simply a mechanism that brings down the fallboard gradually as opposed to simply dropping.

But is it really necessary? Not really; for two reasons. One is that injury due to a fallboard is rare – it does happen sometimes – but it’s generally not the fault of the player. I’ve never hit a fallboard down simply playing the piano. However, if someone leans on it while you’re trying to play, it can fall and potentially cause injury. Two, the fallboard falling down over the keys will almost never damage the piano. There just isn’t enough force to be a problem.

But is the fallboard’s purpose of covering the keys really that important? Surprisingly no; I would actually recommend against it in certain situations. If you have ivory keys you will want to leave the fallboard up. Why? If you leave it down all the time the ivory will become yellow over time. If you leave the fallboard up the keys will continue to be bleached by the sunlight and any light in the room. I virtually never close the fallboard on my Baldwin concert grand.

Keeping the fallboard closed will prevent dust from getting on the keys, but then you will have to dust the fallboard!

It really is interesting when you think about it. A fallboard does not provide anything essential to the piano yet almost all pianos have them. Why is it there? One possible use is to discourage kids from banging on the piano.

One last question I was asked once but actually could not answer is why the fallboard is called a fallboard. And I really don’t know – but my guess would be that it is a board that falls over the keys. If you have any insight into this you can share it here on LivingPianos.com!

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin. Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

What is the MOST Important Part of a Piano?

There is really no ONE part of a piano that is more important than all of the others; however, there are TWO pieces of a piano that are absolutely fundamental to the health of the instrument.

The first piece is the cast iron plate. Structurally, the plate needs to be solid for the health of the instrument. There are over 20 tons of string tension exerted onto the plate – its integrity is essential for the proper function of a piano.

piano plate

Can piano plates crack? The answer is yes. It is very rare to find a cracked plate, however, there are certain models and designs with thin sections of the plate which are prone to cracking. Also, a piano that has been dropped may suffer cracks in the plate.

If you are looking to buy a piano that has a cracked plate, it can be a deal breaker. It can be like buying a house with a crack in the foundation. It’s usually fatal unless the crack is on the perimeter of the plate and is self-contained.

There is another part of the piano that in some ways is even more important because it gives the piano its unique personality – the soundboard of a piano. The soundboard is such an important part of the piano that in parts of Europe it is illegal to put the name of the original piano manufacturer on the front of a piano with a replaced soundboard! The soundboard truly is the lifeblood of the instrument. Nearly all of the sound of a piano is produced from this thin piece of wood that is built into the rim of the piano.

soundboard on a piano

What should you check for in the soundboard to make sure it’s in good condition? Well, unlike the plate, cracks are not necessarily deal breakers. Cracks in soundboards are a normal part of the aging process in most climates. About the only way to fix a soundboard with severe problems is by rebuilding the piano which entails removing the strings and the plate. This gives an opportunity to rework the belly of the piano. Generally, the soundboard is gently heated for a couple of days (usually with some 100 watt light bulbs). Then the technician will place small shims of wood into the cracks, glue, sand and refinish the entire soundboard. Most cracks can be repaired using this technique. However, there are other problems facing soundboards which are more serious. If the soundboard warps and the ribs become detached, they can cause buzzing and must be fixed. If the warping is too severe and multiple, large cracks are present, it may be beyond repair. Replacing a soundboard is very expensive and the piano will have a completely new character of sound.

One aspect of a soundboard essential for a powerful, sustaining tone is called crown. The soundboard is built into the rim of the piano under pressure causing a slight, upward arching. This is called crown which is essential for proper piano tone. While some people attempt to run a string underneath the soundboard to measure crown, the ultimate test is the tone of the piano. Usually if crown is lacking, the treble notes will not last very long. This is very disappointing since it becomes nearly impossible to get a singing melody out of the instrument.

These two parts – the plate and the soundboard of a piano – are certainly important parts of the piano – but the instrument can be compromised by many other factors. I hope you have enjoyed the video and look forward to bringing you many more in the future. If you have any questions or a suggestions for other videos, please contact me: Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com 949-244-3729