Problem with my piano!

Hello all,

I'm a newbie to this particular ng. Anyway, I have this perculiar problem with my piano (it's not a grand piano). You see, when I play a song that uses the pedal, I have no problems what-so-ever. The keys feel great and the sound is great.

Now the problem occurs when I play a song that does *not* use the pedal. The keys feel stiff, hard to play softly and it sounds very bad (i.e. rough and detached).

Now, when I play the same non-pedal songs on my teacher's grand piano, none of this happens (as if I were playing with pedals on *my* piano).

Anyway, is this some problem with my technique, or my piano (the problem persists even after tuning), or something else?

Can someone please help? Hope you understand...

Thanks in advance, Aaron

p.s. Can anyone please suggest some good piano fingering / technique websites? (Or even books)

Sounds as if playing on your piano sounds detatched and non-legato? Keys sounding uneven, perhaps playing at differnt volumes or truoble applying equal pressure to each key as you play a scale, for instance?

Could be that your piano needs regulation. A good technician could evaluate and do the work for your. Costs were about $150-$200 the last time I looked into it.

Who tunes your piano. Is he/she an RPT? Then they are perfectly qualified to do this work. If not, find a registerd piano technican in yoru area via the yellow pages.

When you don't use the pedal, pushing down a key will activate the hammer and will also lift the damper (of that key) from the string(s) (you are actually 'fighting' against the spring of the damper). When you use the pedal, all dampers are lifted from the strings (and kept in this position by the force of your leg) so pushing a key is easier.

You should practice without the pedal and get the 'pedal effect ' playing legato and keeping notes depressed as much as you can. Then you can gradually add the pedal for 'colour'.

His/her piano has a 'soft' touch.

Technique. Tuning does not affect touch. You should ask the piano technician to perform a regulation of the action.

Aren't you paying a teacher for all piano technique information ?

Dunno where you got that idea, but ability to regulate plays no part in certification as a registered piano technician unless they have changed the rules drastically in the years I have been away from it. The test is simply to duplicate a previous tuning and a few simple technical questions - mostly parts recognition.

Hello Radu,

Thanks for your advice!

Yes, I think that's it. It has a soft touch.

Yes But I'm also a DIY/teach-yourself type of person.

Regards,

The test for RPT certification consists of the following parts:

a written examination covering your basic knowledge of piano technology

a tuning exam

a regulation exam in which you completely assemble and regulate both a vertical and grand action model

repair exam in which you perform common repairs to pianos including key bushing, flange bushing and pinning, string splicing as well as several more tests.

You must pass each portion of the test with a score of 80 percent or better.

If you take all three parts of the exam, it will take the better part of a day to complete.

Hope this information is helpful.

Tom Seay, RPT

Thanks for the update, Tom. If this is universally true, it would greatly increase the value of the certification. Last I knew (quite a few years ago, I guess) there was no regulation involved. The rest is about the same.

Tom,

Thanks for your information. I have always had the utmost respect for the RPTs that I've met over the years. They are one of the few true craftsmen left in this masss produced global economy.

Am I correct in my statement that regulation costs approximately $150-

As regulation work is generally priced by the hour (or at least by me, anyway), I really couldn't say what a regulation for your piano might cost. There are just too many variables to be really specific.

A basic action regulation for a vertical piano, including such things as blow distance, capstan regulation let-off and backchecks, doesn't take quite as long as it would if you had to level and space keys, set key height and dip, adjust the damper, space parts, etc. So it could be as little as a couple of hours or so to as long as a whole day and the price would certainly reflect that. It all depends on how much work needs to be done and the skill of the person doing it.

By the way, in the spirit of fairness, I want to tell you that there are many, many fine piano technicians all over the country who have chosen not to become members of the Piano Technicians Guild.

Best wishes,

Tom Seay, RPT

In NJ, a full key to string regulation including every step like bedding the keyframe and traveling the parts for alignment etc., starts at about 1k and goes up. It generally takes me 2 to 3 days to do everything including cleaning, polishing and some repair work. I'm sure for a few hundred dollars you could get your regulation touched up as it were, but not a full

That sounds like a thorough regulation, especially considering settling the keybed. I remember a technician recommending this on an old steinway I once had and though there was a lot of gunk down there that sanded out nicely, I didn't notice much difference. (When we got the teflon bushings out and some proper whippens in, the action improved greatly).

One man's adjustment is another man's regulation, I'm sure.

Thanks for the info.