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
10 thoughts on “The Mystery of the Piano Fallboard… Will it ever be solved?”
I believe that there is a good reason for the fall board that you have not mentioned. If you have the Dammp-Chaser Climate control system in your piano that your fall board helps to keep your piano in it’s own environment. That also means that you should keep your Grand Piano’s lid closed also.
John-
You are absolutely right about keeping the lid of the piano closed to avoid the elements from destabilizing or corroding the inner workings of the piano. However, the keys are in a separate location from the body of the piano and more than that, the small spaces between keys allow very little air to travel anyway – so it is a non issue in regards to environmental impact.
I am a teacher of beginners, and one of the first things we do is explore the piano. Young or old, everyone should know the working parts of the piano.
I use the fall board as a point of reference for posture and position and a table when we close it to do written work as well as the choreography of the hands when working out passages! They use the vocabulary ” fall board” when we use it to knock rhythms on it.:) I also let it fall naturally to make a large noise which indeed stays with them for just the shock value and surprise. I also close the fall board when I want their attention, so…….I love the fall board!! Thanks BOB
Thanks for the tips on fall boards – you are a very creative teacher!
I thought one of the purposes of the fallboard was to prevent the very end of the white keys from being chipped off, either as the piano were being moved, or from just having things fall onto the keys, etc.
Mark-
That is an interesting thought. However, when a piano is moved, it is wrapped with blankets to avoid any part of the piano from becoming damaged. As far as keeping the keys from becoming chipped from falling objects, I guess it might be easier to fix a damaged fallboard than chipped keys. In any event, it’s obviously best to avoid things falling on the piano at all.
The logo on my Steinway B fallboard has darkened with time, so it is now a copper color rather than the bright brass when I acquired the piano. The piano is about 25 years old. Any suggestions about how to restore its luster? Thank you!
Teresa-
Steinway as well as most pianos do not have inlaid brass for the name on the fall board, but use decals. You can buy a new decal and have a re-finisher remove the old decal, refinish the front of the fall board and apply the new decal. It’s not a very expensive job and it will make the fall board look like new.
All the best-
Some fall boards used to have locks on them, so that you could lock them. I remember that my cousin had such a piano and every time I went to his house (my uncle’s house) he would lock the fall board. I was dying to play on the keys and I would ask him to unlock it. But he used to say “no”. He would add “You don’t know how to play:(“. I decided to find a piano and practice so hard that he would beg me to play for him.
That was my little story about piano fall board.
When I was playing piano bars, I developed a quick reflex when anyone came near the keyboard. For some drunks thought it would be hilarious to slam the fallboard on the players fingers. (Which gives you an idea of the class of bars I worked in during the early days.)They never got me, though several did try.