Tag Archives: piano parts

Wood Piano Actions Vs. Plastic Piano Actions

This is a very interesting topic and one that is relevant to the reality of modern day piano building. There was a time when piano actions were made entirely of wood parts but with advances in technology come newer and cheaper alternatives. Today we are going to discuss whether or not plastic actions are as good – or better – than their wooden counterparts.

If you’ve ever looked at a piano action you notice the sheer complexity of it – there are literally thousands of parts. For centuries, piano actions were made out of wood. As time went on and plastics became better, some piano companies began experimenting with putting plastic into their actions in order to cut down on costs.

Early attempts at incorporating plastic parts in actions in the 1950s and 1960s – were wrought with problems because the plastic would become brittle and break over time. These piano actions can be a nightmare to work on and generally should be avoided.

In recent years plastics have come a long way. In fact, Wessel, Nickel & Gross have invented a carbon fiber action that has no wooden parts at all! These actions play differently from traditional actions and are very high quality and can be found in new Mason & Hamlin pianos.

Generally, companies started to rely on plastic parts in their actions because they are easier and cheaper to mass produce. This is not technically a bad thing but most of the companies that are cutting costs are using plastic for some parts of their actions and not all of them. This can cause problems because wood will expand and contract with changes in the weather and room climate – yet plastic will not. This can create problems in some situations with notes hanging up. If you live in a place with widely different temperatures sometimes an all wood or all synthetic action will be a better choice for you.

Another issue with plastic actions are new designs and technologies that require new skill sets to work with. A wood action has been the standard for so long that any reputable piano technician should be able to work with them. When it comes to plastic actions or carbon fiber actions, you might have to search for someone who is familiar with those particular actions and possibly have access to spare parts if necessary.

There are many great companies like Kawai and Mason & Hamlin that utilize plastic and synthetics in their piano actions and they have had great results. However, the vast majority of great pianos in the world still utilize wooden actions – such as Hamburg Steinway and Bösendorfer (which both use Renner Actions made entirely out of wood).

More than anything, it’s finding the right piano and action for you. You should certainly be wary of actions that mix wood and plastic in more extreme climates but overall there are new technologies available that are worth your consideration.

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

What is Duplex Scaling? Piano Questions

Maybe you’ve heard this term before; maybe you haven’t; maybe a salesperson once told you, “You definitely need duplex scaling”. whatever your familiarity with duplex scaling, you will learn something about this technology today.

So what is duplex scaling? Simply put, it’s a tone enhancement system that is used in some pianos to increase tone life. That sounds great, but how does it work?

Every piano has something referred to as the “speaking length” of the string. This is the part of the string that is free to vibrate. In the image below the speaking length is highlighted in yellow:

Typically the area above and below the speaking length of the string is muted out with felt. You can see this area highlighted in yellow in the image below:

Why would this area be muted out with felt? Typically this area of the strings is not capable of adding pleasing harmonics to the sound. Duplex scaling utilizes a technology that tunes the non-speaking length of the strings to enable them to vibrate at musically pleasing frequencies.

Aliquots are used in duplex scaling to precisely terminate the strings at lengths that produce pitches that are complementary to the pitch that is being played. So instead of felt that is used to terminate the string, you have something that looks like this:

On a piano with Duplex scaling you will get the same pitch as all three strings, typically an octave or an octave and a fifth above the notes – which are overtones already contained within the fundamental pitch. The purpose of this system is to enhance the tone by creating more sound from each note.

Most pianos that contain duplex scaling typically feature it on the rear portion of the string. Certain pianos (like the one we are demonstrating in this article) has two sets of duplex scaling in both the rear and the front portion of the strings.

Most pianos use part of the plate above the treble section of the piano (capo d’astro bar) to terminate the strings. On this particular piano, there is a front set of aliquots which allows for the front section of strings to add useful harmonics due to sympathetic vibration, just as depressing the damper pedal adds richness to the tone.

So you’re probably wondering whether or not duplex scaling is something you must have on your piano. While duplex scaling is a useful technology that can enhance the tone of the piano, there are myriad scale design technologies that allow for different tonal results that can be equal in beauty of tone. Duplex scaling is just one way to enhance piano tone.

Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions or comments about this topic or any topic at all please contact us directly Info@LivingPianos.com or (949) 244-3729.

Cold Pressed Versus Hot Pressed Hammers

If you’ve shopped for a piano you might be familiar with these terms. As you might expect, the answer to which one of these types of hammers is preferable is not so simple.

Cold Pressed Hammers

Cold pressed hammers are typically found on American and European Pianos. The felt is typically softer than hot pressed hammers found on Asian pianos and they lend themselves more to the warm tone appropriate for much classical music.

Cold pressed hammers can actually be a bit too soft in some instances – like on many new Steinway pianos where hammers have to be treated with chemical agents such as lacquer in order to get the felt to harden up a bit to make the piano sound bright enough.

Hot pressed Hammers

Typically found on Asian pianos, hot pressed hammers contain felt that is already hard and produce a nice bright tone right out of the box! For certain styles of music this is the type of sound you may be after. In rock or pop settings the piano will cut through a mix better than a Steinway! This is why Yamaha is the preferred piano for many rock and pop artists.

If the hammers are a bit too hard for your liking and produce a sound that is too bright and brittle, you can sometimes have a technician needle them to soften the felt and get good results.

Time and Play is a Big Issue

Whether you have cold or hot pressed hammers, over time the felt will harden with continued play. As the hammers continue to strike the strings of the piano they will become grooved:

When the felt on the hammers becomes grooved like this, the felt becomes more compacted and harder over time with continued use.

Sometimes you can get new life out of worn hammers by filing to get the egg shape essential for good tone. Needling them can make the tone more mellow as well. Eventually there isn’t fresh felt to work with and new hammers are required.

The Choice Depends upon You

Like many aspects of the piano, the choice of the right type of hammers for you depends largely on the style of music you play.

If you are a classical player and you practice a great deal, hot pressed hammers could be problematic as they will get harder faster and need to be needled more often. But no matter how many times you needle them they might not be able to be brought down far enough to produce the softer tone you may be looking for. So, in this case, cold pressed felt may be more suitable.

However, if you play classical music but have a softer touch, you might prefer the sound of hot pressed hammers since you can get brilliant sound with less energy. If you don’t find yourself playing with a great amount of force on the keys, the hot pressed felt will help produce a louder and more distinct tone that can cover up for the lack of force at which the hammers strike the keys.

The same thing is true for rock and pop music. Hot pressed hammers may be a great fit, but if you are an extremely powerful player, you may want the cold pressed hammers so the tone doesn’t become crunchy and distorted at higher volumes.

So much depends on the type of music and style in which you play and your personal preference in tone. As with most decisions with your piano, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to hard or cold pressed hammers.

Just keep in mind these simple truths when it comes to hammer felt:

Cold pressed hammers = softer felt – mellower tone

Hot pressed hammers = harder felt – brighter tone

I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions about this topic or any other, please email me Robert@LivingPianos.com for more information.

Should You Close the Fallboard on Your Piano?

Nearly every piano has a fallboard and you might assume that if it’s there it should be used. Should you close the fallboard on your piano when you’re not playing it?

There are certain instances when the fallboard can be useful to keep people from playing the instrument. If you have a piano in a restaurant or hotel that you don’t want random people playing, you can close the fallboard and the lid and lock the piano (if your piano has a lock). If you have a piano in your home that you don’t want children playing around with this can also be useful.

When it comes to institutional use, the locks on pianos do very little to protect them because they can be easily pried open. That’s why there are much more secure locks available to prevent people from getting inside pianos

The practical use of fallboards is to prevent dust from collecting on the keys of pianos. Playing a piano with dirty keys feels awful! However, dust will still collect on the fallboard and you will have to dust the fallboard. With delicate satin finishes, this can be more challenging than dusting the keys.

The biggest issue when it comes to closing the fallboard is whether or not you have ivory or plastic key tops.

When I was a child growing up, my father Morton Estrin would always leave his fallboards open on his pianos and I once asked him about this. He explained to me that the ivory keys on pianos will yellow if not exposed to sunlight on a regular basis. So, closing the fallboard will turn ivory keys yellow over time. In this case, you are better off leaving your fallboard open.

When it comes to plastic keys there are no other benefits to keeping fallboards open unless there is direct sunlight on the keys. Plastic can sometimes react to sunlight and degrade over time. If you want to prevent people from playing your piano or prevent dust from getting on the keys, than closing the fallboard is a good choice. However, it doesn’t prolonging the life of your piano or aid its stability.

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

Can You Replace Just one Piano String?

Last week we talked about how long piano strings last, today we are going to discuss whether or not it’s possible to replace only a single string. This is something I deal with on a regular basis. I have very intense practice sessions and I regularly break strings on my Baldwin SD-10 concert grand piano.

When it comes to piano, you should always have an experienced tuner or technician replace the string for you – unless you are well versed in servicing pianos. You must install the correct gauge string properly so it matches the other strings – you will want to make sure it’s wound tightly and that the becket (the part of the string that points out from the hole) is flush, among other issues that must be addressed when replacing a string. It’s not a job for an amateur.

If you’re familiar with other string instruments, like guitar for example, you know that replacing a single string can be a bit problematic. In the case of a guitar, replacing one string will cause that string to stand out from the older ones on the instrument. It will have a brighter sound and it will go out of tune much more easily than the strings you already have on there until it stabilizes. When it comes to piano, you will find similar problems.

Replacing a single string on a piano will cause that string to go out tune quite regularly. It will need to be touched up regularly – possibly eight to ten times before it holds a tuning. What a lot of piano tuners will do is to stretch the string a little sharp and insert a small rubber wedge to avoid hearing the out of tune string. The next time they come to tune the piano the string will probably hold pitch better and they can hopefully get the piano back to normal.

What I suggest for serious players is to become somewhat competent in touching up the tuning of your piano. I own a tuning hammer and a set of wedges and I constantly touch up the tuning of my piano. This enables you to enjoy your piano without having to constantly have a technician or tuner come over to tune your new strings. It’s worth learning if you find yourself breaking strings regularly. Not only that, but you can keep your piano in tune longer by touching up the tuning between piano technician visits.

When it comes to copper wound bass strings, there is a bit more involved. These strings are very specific and it may require you to send in the string to the manufacturer and have them send you a replication. Mapes is a great string manufacturer that provides this service. If the piano is very old and the bass strings are a bit tarnished, a new bass string could be significantly brighter than the others. At this point you might consider replacing the whole set of bass strings which could really brighten up the sound giving new life to your piano.

It’s not the end of the world breaking piano strings, but it requires some work and the help of an experienced tuner to remedy the situation. If you find yourself breaking strings regularly, you should consider learning how to touch up the tuning on your piano. You may also consult with your piano technician to see if there are issues with your piano that are causing strings to break.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

What do the Pedals on Upright Pianos Do?

You might wonder if there is a difference between the pedals on upright and grand pianos. Not only is there a difference, but there are actually no upright pianos with pedals that function the same as pedals on fine grand pianos!

Let’s discuss each of the three pedals and see how they differ from one-another:

 

The Sustain Pedal or the Damper Pedal (The Right Pedal)

This is the most commonly used piano pedal and it is the one pedal that functions the same on uprights and grand pianos.

The Right Pedal releases all the dampers so that the tone lives on after you release the keys.

 

 

The Sostenuto Pedal (The Middle Pedal)

On a grand piano, the middle pedal functions as a selective hold pedal. It will release the dampers only on the notes that you depress and hold before pressing the pedal. To put it simply: You play some note – while holding them down, press the middle pedal and hold it down to keep the dampers of the held notes from going back down again after releasing the keys. Only those notes continue holding, but new notes played will not hold after you release the keys.

On upright pianos there are a couple different functions for the middle pedal but they rarely perform the function of a sostenuto pedal that a grand piano offers.

Older Upright Pianos

Some older upright pianos have a bass sustain for the middle pedal function. This will only release the dampers on the bass section of the piano and leave the other notes in the middle and the treble alone.

The reason for this is that most pieces of music that utilize the middle pedal have low notes that hold while other notes are played in the upper register. So, it functions almost like a sostenuto pedal in many musical contexts.

Newer Upright Pianos

The trend in recent years has been to move away from a quasi-sostenuto (bass sustain) pedal in upright pianos and replace them with what is referred to as a “practice pedal”

The practice pedal is designed to allow someone to practice the piano while reducing the volume of the piano substantially. It accomplishes this by placing a piece of felt between the hammers and the strings. The hammers then strike the felt and the volume of the notes is greatly reduced. This pedal will “lock” into place by pushing it down and to the left and will enable you to still utilize the right and left pedals on the piano in addition to utilizing the practice function.

This is a very useful pedal for homes or apartments where the sound of the piano could be bothersome to neighbors, parents or other members of the household.

 

Una Corda or Soft Pedal (The Left Pedal)

This pedal is important because it changes the tone of the piano. On a grand piano this pedal will shift the entire action – you can actually see the keys move from left to right – and the hammers will strike the strings off center making for a softer sound.

Una corda means “one string” because originally pianos only had two strings for each note and this pedal would shift the action so the hammers hit single strings instead of both. Modern pianos have three strings for each note (through most of the piano) and shifting the hammers makes it so they don’t hit the strings squarely. Not only that, the hammers will hit the strings where they aren’t grooved which produces a warmer tone since the felt is softer than the compacted, grooved part of the hammers.

On upright pianos the left pedal does not function at all like it does on grand pianos. It does not shift the action from left to right but typically will move the action closer to the strings.

By placing the hammers closer to the strings, the left pedal will change the touch of the piano but does not change the tone. It is much more difficult to gain momentum with the hammers closer to the string making it harder to play loud, but not change the tone.

There is a little trick you can try with the left pedal on upright pianos. Because it shifts the action closer to the strings, if you hit the pedal quickly, it can make the hammers strike the strings and produce a sound. On some older pianos if you hold down the right pedal and pump the left pedal you can produce some very weird sounds! It’s certainly not meant to function this way but it’s something fun to try sometime.

I hope that this solves the mystery of the pedals on upright pianos. There is a lot of misconceptions about how these pedals function when compared to grand pianos and my hope is that this article has shed light on this subject.

I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions about this topic or any other, please email me Robert@LivingPianos.com for more information.