I was asked this question recently and it’s a tough one to answer. The brand of the piano does matter when it comes to how they are built and how they play, but even more important is the size of the instrument and the manner in which it is prepared.
The keys on larger pianos like concert grands, are longer than those of baby grand pianos (on the other side of the fallboard). So you will be moving more mass with each key press, requiring more energy to play.
Actions on different size pianos are weighted to compensate for their larger size, but a bigger action will still require more strength and can take more energy also because the strings are longer and there is more soundboard to excite.
When it comes to Steinway and Yamaha the opinions are endless. Some will claim that Steinway pianos are stiff and others will say that Yamaha pianos have heavier actions – or sometimes it’s the exact opposite!
So where does the truth lie?
The most important variable when it comes to how heavy an action can be is how it’s regulated by a technician. An action isn’t necessarily heavier or lighter by design, however, each individual piano, even new pianos of the same make and model vary in action weight. This is due to the handwork in manufacturing as well as the regulation performed on the instrument. Also, new pianos tend to be harder to play since the felt bushings aren’t broken in yet. So, there is more friction to overcome.
Most actions are around 48-60 grams of downweight. Lower notes also tend to be heavier than higher notes because there is more felt on the hammers and the keys are longer behind the fallboard.
You may wonder if there is anything you can do to change the weight of your piano action.
If your action is too light, your technician should be able to re-weight it and make it heavier for you. If it’s too heavy, there are techniques to get things moving better unless there are serious problems or the hammers have been replaced with the wrong specification hammers.
What’s more important for a technician than the weight of the action is to ensure that the action is running properly and moving smoothly. There are dozens felt points of contacts on each key and if there is unnecessary friction, it can severely impact the weight of the action. Sometimes it’s necessary to rebuild an action in order to get proper response if parts are gummed up such as Steinway pianos with verdigris problems.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to find a good technician. I’ve sat down at wonderful pianos that played like a nightmare because of bad work. Something as routine as replacing the hammers on your action could end up ruining the touch response. Just a few grams of extra weight from the wrong hammers or wrong geometry can make the piano feel extremely heavy.
Sometimes when a piano has been played a great deal and the hammers have been filed again and again to reshape them for proper tone, the action can become substantially lighter. It may not affect your enjoyment of the instrument, but if you want optimal response, you could either replace the hammers or have your technician re-weight the action.
Overall I don’t think there is a specific difference between Steinway and Yamaha when it comes to the weight of the actions. It’s a very specific issue that is more dependant on the size, condition and regulation of the instrument rather than the manufacturer. I would love to hear from pianists and technicians what experiences you have had with the action weight on different pianos.
Thanks again for joining me. Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.