Thanks for being generous with your expertise. My problem today: even with the key removed the hammer is sluggish and not returning. The problem is more likely if I slowly push the jack/hammer as opposed to a quick attack which causes rebound. Also, There is a very quiet squeek audible when that particular notes mechanism is returning... the squeek seems to be in the hammer's movement (not the jack)... hope I'm using the correct terminology. Confusingly the squeek is not always there even when the sticking is happening. Another clue is that the after the key is released one its jacks - the on activated by the key - not the one that pushes the hammer - returns only about 3/4 of the way to its original position. Also, lifting the key up a bit knocks the mechanism back. Any thoughts would be appreciated, Ernie Tollar
Hi Ernie, It sounds like you have tight flanges in both the jack and the hammer butt. You could verify this by removing the hammer butt and flange and checking to see how tight the pinning is. The flange should move with very little effort. (3-4 grams of resistance) The same should be with the jack flange. You would have to remove the whippen in order to check this.
Very informative. I appreciate all of the information that you have given to me. Now if only my school would let me perform repairs on our pianos I would be able to try and find out what is wrong with the ones that we have. I struggle to understand why I pay $11,000 a year to go to a school that has only one tuned piano and several ones with keys that don't work or are out of tune...
wish i wouldve seen this comment 10 years ago. The pianos in our practice room cost more than my car at the time but they were probably out of tune for the same amount of time ive been alive.
I need to thank you so much. I suddenly had a key start sticking out of nowhere and I hadn't got a clue. I had longed for an acoustic for years and years while stuck with an electric and when I finally got him I fell completely in love. I LOVE my piano so much it's ridiculous and it was really upsetting me. I've got a great piano tuner and I know he could fix him but he's not due for another 2 months and I've not got the money to call him in right now. But from watching your video I've just fixed it! I am so relieved and happy so thank you so much. Alf says thank you too (I named my piano Alf lol). 🎶☺️🎶
Great video. I had a key that wasn’t behaving 100% like the rest. It wasn’t sticking, but it lacked that tiny nuanced final bounce. After checking everything else, I couldn’t find a reason. I did notice the key pin appeared larger than the rest, but hadn’t seen this video yet. So, after seeing this, I remember the key pin - Turns out the key pin was turned just a bit. I placed it back to where the wider portion faces left/right, and all is perfect.
After I replaced the treble damper felts on my old Bell upright, one of the black keys was sticking. I found that the red felt on the key cover that sits above the keys, had come unglued and would not allow that one key to come up all the way. Love your videos Howard - your parts and tools are great also.
This was a great help! Thank you for sharing your trade. I actually found out that my piano (1912 Francis Bacon Player Piano) keys were sticking because of corroded felt pads below the keys. Flipped the pads over (will later replace) and lightly sanded the bottom of the keys. No more sticking keys! Glad the “stick” wasn’t in the action.
THANK YOU!!! You fixed my little Spinet 64 (that I got for free because the keys were sticking)!! I'm sooooo grateful for your video!!!! ALL they keys were fixed with a simple adjustment of the front board, except one white and one black... and I have faith that you will help me fix those, too! If I need any parts or tools, FOR SURE I am coming to you. :) Thanks again!
Hi Stephanie, Thanks for watching! Yes, when the keys are sticking on the keyslip in front of the keys, this is the easiest fix. Hopefully the other keys are a fairly easy to fix as well.
I am forever grateful to you! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise. I fixed my stuck key in a couple of seconds. Thanks to you I can play the pieces I love again!
Thanks for your videos. I finally got some confidence and took my piano's action out. I got the Protek CLP from your store. It worked great. Wound up having to do the entire action, but your videos got me through it.
Just fixed a sticky key on my piano using this video. Thanks! (The piano tuner who came earlier said that it would stop being sticky if we played it more. Yeah right! No way would that pin have turned itself. Besides - no fun playing if one of the keys doesn't lift up.)
What an excellent video. Thank you. Our piano was bought new about 30 years ago. Our children never really took to music, so the instrument has stood idle for most of that time. Now I want to learn, so perhaps it wasn't entirely wasted. I shall now open it up and look for the cause. It's one key only, so I am hoping it isn't too bad. Best regards form the United Kingdom.
+turnitback Well, I have been right though it and cannot identify the problem. That is despite your excellent instructions, not through any fault in them, by the way. Having got right into it, I can see that it is an inferior construction. I just wishI could go back 30 years and speak to the firm that sold it! It is an old English make, Eavestaff. At the time , we were told that the action and frame were Yamaha. In fact, it is Hyundai and, although I have no experience of pianos I can see how thrown-together it is. That being the case I am not going to spend money or any more time on this instrument. Bearing the fact in mind that I no longer mind if it ends up going for scrap, I have resorted to spraying 3-in-1 cycle oil between the stick key and its neighbours. Although I imagine that it won't be permanent, at least it has worked so far and will keep me going while learning. It is a touch out of tune, but I can live with that for a while.
Thank you so much for being honest and freely sharing your information. Tuners in my country are very secretive and they don't explain things to customers (even those who are musicians). I'm very grateful. Wishing you all the best!
Your videos are fantastic! I was looking for tutorials over internet about how to do right maintenance on my piano, but could not find anything useful. And here comes the day when I found your videos. This is the gold mine!! Thank you so much for uploading all this valuable knowledge to RUclips. :)
Another key problem is warpage. A slight warping of a keystick could cause the key to rub against its neighboring key causing one, or both, keys to stick.
Thanks for sharing this. Thinking to a well maintained 1875 Steinway upright (Hamburg) I thought I’ll need all the help I can get to troubleshoot minor checkups like these.
Great video. I have a problem with one of my keys sustaining after hitting it, but the sustain pedal is not active. Any idea how to repair that condition? Only one key is doing it. Thank you!
It seems like my issue is with the whippen not returning, as you described especially with the dampers lifted. I noticed it unfortunately just started happening more frequently to one of two problem keys so I’ll try and address it soon. My piano is, inconveniently for repair, a roll player, so I hope I can somehow poke through all the machinery to get to it without gutting it first. Thanks for the video!
Thanks so much for your videos. You're the man! This video helped me out a lot. I had a couple of sticking keys in my old piano and it was caused by corrosion on the front pins. I cleaned them all up and the keys are now playing smoothly. No sticking keys anymore. Thanks again!
Hi Howard, hope you are doing great. In this video at 8:42 you mention that the sticking problem due to jack flange reveals itself when you push the damper pedal. My qiestion is what is the correlation between these two ( i. e. Damper pedal and sticky key due to tight jack flange). Because when i see the video where you explain the upright action i do not see any relation (but I agree that it is true. I have experienced that before) Thank you
The reason that the problem is sometimes more evident with the damper pedal is that when the damper pedal is not pressed you have extra weight on the action part due to the fact that you have the damper lever spring pushing on the spoon on the back of the whippen.
Wow, I am SO glad I thought of checking for this on RUclips. I have the exact problem you went into detail about - the key that will play, then not. I am opening that sucker up tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge! And for being so detailed.
GREAT VIDEO!!! I DIDN'T NOTICE THE CRACKED WOOD ON THE KEY (at holding pin) UNTIL YOU MENTIONED TO LOOK THERE! WHEN I WENT TO TAKE THE KEY OUT IT BROKE IN TWO!!!!! USED APPROPRIATE WOOD GLUE, AND NOW I'M BACK IN BUSINESS!!!!! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
I am getting a Baldwin Hamilton studio upright from a church. The piano was manufactured in 1969. I had a technician check it out he said it's in pretty good shape although the bridge has come away from the soundboard partially on the bass end. But he said that wasn't a real big deal and is going to fix it and tune it for me, and lubricate the hammers. (To the best of my recollection I don't want to misquote him but he did say something about lubricating and I thought it was the hammers) Been doing a little reading and to me the action or the return is a little sluggish. He said lubricating the hammers would help the action. (Again to the best of my recollection I don't want to misquote him) Doing some reading I see there is what is called a Jack spring on each mechanism. I have worked as a mechanic most of my life and wondering, is this something I should be able to do myself? I see Jack springs for an upright piano on Amazon. It's about $25 with shipping for a hundred of them. After he is done moving the piano here and tuning it and lubricating the hammers, is replacing the Jack spring something I should consider and do you think that would benefit the action of my piano? I'm looking for quick repetitive action when I ultimately hone my skills in a southern rock honky tonk style. Is there a video where you talk about replacing the Jack springs and the benefits of doing so?
Thank you for such a comprehensive tutorial! I was given a Lester Betsey Ross Spinet that had not been turned in a long time , thanks to your instruction , it sounds GREAT now! Thank you so very much!
Thank you for this and all your informative and well-presented videos. Great work, and I love ordering parts from your site. Easy to use, good quality, and trustworthy.
Thank you so much! I just bought a piano at a huge discount because the owner did not want to have a technician fix four dead keys. My husband got .31 cents out from between the keys! lol The piano is perfect now.Thanks for the tips.
Just watched the video and it's very instructive. My problem is probably more of a flange pin problem (repetition on key eventually makes it stick) but the other thing I noticed is that the lower action piece moves sloppily left and right when I wiggle it in place, whereas the other keys' action pieces stay put. Is that indicative of another issue?
It could be that the pin is too loose and is coming out. If you look in to where the pin is you may be able to see if the end of the pin is sticking out of the flange.
I just bought a 1960's Wurlitzer spinet. The f key left of middle c was playing intermittently. After looking into the action, I noticed the jack was leaning on the jack just to the right of it. After further inspection, I found the jack pin almost all the way out of the flange (this is what caused the jack to move way out of position to strike the hammer butt). I managed to slide the pin back into place....and this worked for awhile, but the pin eventually slid back out. Have you ever seen problem before? I called out a piano tech....I'm hoping he can find a slightly larger pin to fix this...
Hi Robby, Congratulations on diagnosing the problem. Yes, the flange will need to be repinned with a larger pin. I have seen this problem before. It's not uncommon for it to happen on any of the action flanges. When a new pin is put in the flange it will need to be sized for the new pin size with a flange broach. Any good piano technician should have center pins and the tools needed to do this repair. It is fairly simple if you have the right equipment.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, I have an old piano off a ship and am about to restore it but no nothing of the internals of the piano! I trust myself though especially with the knowledge you have bestowed upon me hahah cheers
Thanks! Your videos are amazing! One thing I notice on one key of mine: The jack seems to be pressing a little too hard against the hammer but so that when the key is pressed, it kind of sticks then shoots out to where it is supposed to go. How would I remedy this?
If you feel the jack or the leather on the hammer butt, do they feel nice and smooth or are they kind of sticky. One or both of these may either need to be cleaned or lubricated. It could be that something sticky go tin the action.
Thanks for this video. For my piano i press is ok but sometimes it got stuck only the white key i have to press it again to make it bounce up? Whats the issue im having
Many thanks for this very informative video. I have a particular problem. I have just purchased a brand new upright piano with a Renner action with Renner hammers. However, I am finding that I sometimes play keys that do not sound, or do not sound properly. I am pretty sure it is because I am releasing some keys too slowly. So I went through the whole 88 notes playing each one releasing at different speeds. Nearly 90% of notes had an issue, some far worse than others. If I quickly released a key after playing, there was no problem. Some had to be released very slowly (impractically slowly) to show a problem, but others at greater release speeds which meant I could not play properly. I do not believe it is an issue with lost motion, as pulling on the rest rail a little and the hammers do move with it, though when pressing a key the hammer appears to move immediately. So, given the piano is brand new, with a quality action, all I could think is that it may be due to humidity. It is summer and we have had a lot of rain and humidity is currently around 70% at present (had the piano two weeks). Any ideas? I would add that my other piano (a Ritmuller RS122) in the same room and only a year old (but 1.5hrs of play a day), has no issues whatsoever and indeed the action is far better than the Renner for repetition as I can play very quickly on the same note without the key having to come back to the top, which is impossible with the Renner action which blocks unless the key returns to the top. Any help much appreciated.
This really sounds like a lost motion problem to me. Try this test, shim up the hammer rest rail by just 1/32" or so by inserting thin cardboard between the blocks of felt that are holding the hammer rail up and the action brackets. This will increase slightly the space between all the tops of the jacks and the bottom of the hammer butts. See if this solves the problem. If it does you can just glue the shims in place or increase the lost motion on each note a hair by lowering each capstan.
@@howardpianoind Thank you ever so much for your reply. You were spot on. I did as you said and everything was sorted. However, as the notes vary a bit one to another in respect of their lost motion, I will need to get the capstans adjusted individually. Somewhat disappointing for a brand new piano, which has been very carefully regulated in the factory, though could a change in humidity, i.e. an increase, cause say the length of the jack to increase slightly so causing this issue? Many thanks again.
There are schools that offer training. There are a few colleges that have programs. There are also a couple of correspondence school options. Here is a video that has more information on this subject: ruclips.net/video/LpoyLy3kyWE/видео.html
I have a problem with sticky black keys. When I press a black key the front of the black key gets stuck to the white key and therefor isn't able to come back up. Any idea how I can fix this problem?
What are the thin spongy wires that come down to make the hammer return? Some of mine are broken or bent out of shap, can you help? Any tutorials on this? THANKS!
The most likely cause of a key not being able to be pushed down would be if there were an object stuck either under the key or something lodged between two keys.
I have some front row pins that are rotated like you said in the video, and they are causing my keys to stick. I tried rotating them back to the correct orientation, however I was not able to do so by simply using my fingers. Do you have any tools or techniques to recommend in order to rotate the pins back into the correct position?
Hi Ben, Thanks for watching. Yes, the front rail pins are generally too tight to be able to turn with your fingers. There is a tool that is made that is designed to turn and bend the pins when needed. It is called an Offset Key Spacer. Here is a link to this tool in our online store: www.howardpianoindustries.com/offset-key-spacer/
Hey Howard! Me and a friend have been working on a upright piano and we took off all the bridal strips to tighten the action and when we put them back on now some of the keys stick and the hammers are heavy. I did some research and it seems to be a common mistake for first timers to do something like this. Something the jack in the hammer system causing it?
another method apparently is to depress firmly & slowly but gently move the key from side to side whilst depressing it so it causes the felt bushings in the key to self-compact once again and ease the sticking key? -does this sound right?
Can you test the jack pin tightness without removing the piano action? Can you lubricate it as a least effort attempt at a fix? If yes, what lubricant to use?
You can get a general sense of how tight the jack pinning is without removing the action, but it is hard to get a real sense of how tight it is without taking the whippen out. You can try lubricating the jack pin. The proper lubricant to use is Protek CLP which can be purchased from our online store: www.howardpianoindustries.com/protek-clp-lubricant-for-piano-action-parts/
You saved my piano. I went thru 5, literally techs trying to solve sticky keys, not one removed the action. They oiled the keys, the action, they adjusted, one used a hair dryer, one suggested weights on the keys, each time the keys started sticking again after a few weeks. I finally I pulled one action myself and the whippen pin was OK but the other (I've forgotten the name, the one for the action itself) pin was very stiff. I paid tech #6 $200 ( a steal, he set the price) to repin all 88. Problem solved.@@howardpianoind
This is most interesting. I hv an old piano that has a couple of keys that sometimes don't play. professional piano tuner said the springs are weak. will try my hand at replacing the springs for the challenge. thx so much! btw are the wooden parts for the keys all standard for all pianos? the hammer, keys, jack etc
Many of the wooden parts are standard sizes so that many spinet size pianos will use similar parts or many console pianos will use the same size parts. However, the keys themselves ( the key sticks) are not interchangable and are cut to fit each individual piano or at least each model of piano.
What about when the key can’t be pushed in at all? My grandparents have a Story & Clark cabinet grand, and I was hoping to see if I could fix some of the keys, and hopefully tune it. My first issue is I don’t even know how to open the front panel to view the hammers or action though. It’s really hard to find tutorials on this stuff.
Hi Howard. I got problem in my old piano ( Ottostein , around 20 years ). Some key pin are twisted so it can not move freely. Can you show me how can I reform the twisted key pin?
What happens when the hammer does not reset to its resting position? I looked and nothing seemed broken nor loose nor lacking any spring/parts. Just baffles the mind. Also can the sustain pedal rod be repaired as its tip is rusted and broken off? Or does it need to be replaced completely? Where do you even get parts like that? What's the cost?
I have Steinway baby grand. Somehow a pencil rolled down the key lid and is lodged between the strings and the keys. How do I get the lid that covers the keys off to get the pencil out? Thanks
Hi Dee, You'll need to take off the fallboard. On a Steinway grand piano it is removed the same as I show in this video: ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=xd7_g9LL9rE
My daughter and son-in-in law bought a used Aerosonic by Baldwin Saturday from FB Marketplace in our little Texas town and it has several problematic keys. I told her "it's not rocketscience" and I might be able to fix, so they bought it. There was a bunch of mouse nesting material inside and a pen lodged inside under the wippens ? ...which we painstakingly removed. Now most of the keys work, except for 2 that have cracks near that part (where you said they often break) and several in a row that go down and stay there. My question is, how do you get the lid (the lid that slide over the keys)? we removed most of the other parts that were interfering with seeing what was going on, but couldn't figure out how to remove that. The previous owners kept it in their barn ! and so it has a lot of grit/sand/dirt in all the nooks and crannies (It was 10pm and very dark when we decided we needed to use their UHaul truck to get a piano before we had to return it). I told her we'd tackle the piano again after we researched it...then I came across your very thorough and helpful video. Thank you! Thank you!! THANK YOU!!!
Greetings :D! I'm interested in change my Upright Piano Hammers; So I wonder; Do you know some place or web site where can I buy them? Thanks for your help
Hi Carlos, Yes, we do sell full sets of piano hammers. Right now we don't have them listed on our website as they require specific details in order to get you the right ones. Please contact me through our website and I can help you get what you need: howardpianoindustries.com/contact-us/
Hi, I have a different problem with my piano and i hope you can help. I took out the mechanism to look for problems and i found one. I can not get it back without blocking all of the keys. I called someone and she said to be sure the pedal sticks are in the holes but this doesn't work because there are no holes. Do you have any idea to get them keys going again? Thanks, Ton
Hi Ton, Is it that the hammers are all pushing forward when you put the action back in. If this is the case, it could be that your bridle straps are broken or not adjusted correctly. If this is happening, it means the jacks are getting stuck underneath the hammer butt felt rather than in front of the felt.
Basically, if you have structural problems with the piano such as lots of cracks in the bridges or cracks in the soundboard that are causing buzzing noises, or if there are many sticking keys that would take a lot of work to fix, then you may want to consider if it is worth putting the money or time into getting these things repaired. If it's just one or two sticking keys and the piano seems structurally sound, then it may be a decent piano. Obviously there are other things to consider as well, but these are some general guidelines.
Hi Howard, Thanks for the advice. The case is that it worked just fine before i took the mechanical part out except for 1 key. Now all keys are jammed. It must be something simple, as it mostly is..
It sounds like the jack tops are getting jammed up under the bottom of the hammer butt felt. Are you able to see if the jacks are too far toward the back of the action?
howardpianoind Could you resend your text/ email address so that I can send you the video? I seem to have lost the address that you sent me. Thank you.
I have a problem with a "squeaking key". the key bushing kind of rubs on to that metal pin and produces that sound. i watched a video where u can get a screw driver and just push the bushing against the wood away from the pin. that worked for a lot of the notes that squeaked except a few that were squeaking a lot. how can i fix this?
My piano got one key that is sticky only when the pedal is pressed. But it rebounds pretty quickly with pedal is released. My tuner had a look at it but he couldn't fix it. What could be the cause?
Hi Steve. Did you ever have these straight-strung.overdamped uprights in the USA in the 1800s/early 1900s as we had here in Britain? David Boyce one of the local piano tuners here has a great website with lots of info about the apparnt "Cottage Industry" of piano workshops churning out budget pianos in the heyday of the piano in the 1880s and 1890s and later and they used the birdcage action. I'd presume you had the same sorta industry over there too. That action reminds me of my very first piano in white it was straight-strung and semitone flat and really out of tune. I also played a very worn Arthur Allison & Co upright which I have a video andnsome photos of this week, the action was very light which I like even though that's not what a good action is for developing finger strength but it really reminded me as I'd forgot what my first piano sounded and felt like. Great videos keep em up. www.davidboyce.co.uk/birdcage-pianos.php
Hi Sam, I've never personally seen a piano with a birdcage type action. I've only seen pictures. From what I had heard the birdcage actions were primarily a piano type that were made in Great Britain. We did have many piano manufacturers here in the US during the late 1800's and early 1900's. I think the reason for this is that it was the primary form of home entertainment and music was what people often did for enjoyment in the home. Because there wasn't a way to play recorded music, people had to create their own. Once the radio was invented and eventually the television and other forms of entertainment, the piano lost some of it's popularity. Personally, I enjoy sitting down and playing the piano for an hour over sitting in front of the TV.
Same here, espeically with alot of the rubbish on TV these days. Yeah I think the birdcage pianos were more populer over here and in Germany by people like Bluthner although that type of action was discontinued quicker in Germany and alot of other places in favor of the modern action we have today it was really just us who kept it in budget level pianos right up til the 1950s hence why alot of the British makers went out of business because they didn't keep up with the German and European makers as much. Kemble closed it's doors in 2009 they are now made by Yamaha but toned in Britian the Kemble factory is closed now I think they're all made in Japan. Real shame as at one time we were one of the main hubs for piano building as was America and we could make good pianos when we wanted to.
Nice to see ye Back Steve. I think it was actually a John Broadwood thing, of course one of the inventors of the pianoforte, certainly the oldest piano maker who was still about since 1728. They were the last to give in to building a moder cross-strung frame as John Broadwood preferred the sound of the older straight-strung pianos, I heard that from somebody can't remember who but when I find out I'll certainly mention them. They actually did some very cool things like the "Barless" grand with no split in the bass and treble sections of the piano which apparently give em much better tone at the breakpoint or something like that. Ye still see a number of em kicking about over here. Here's one. www.gumtree.com/p/pianos/john-broadwood-barless-grand-piano-tuned-uk-delivery-available-/1365894806
I don't know the names of the parts or anything but basically,a little square of felt fell off and that keys still plys good but the felt is stuck under another key and that key I have to press really hard to play it,I don't wanna spend 100s of dollars to get it fixed,and suggestions?
You should be able to just take the key out and remove the felt from under it. If you need to know how to take the key out, here is a video which shows how to disassemble the piano so you can get at it: ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=RxFeBcsGtgg
Hi Howard. I got a problem. I just remove the action in a grand piano and remove the keys to replace all key tops. After putting back the action on keyboard I realized most of the keys are not working correctly. They became sticky. The touch is weird. And it's completely impossible to play a song on it. I assume there should be problem other than regulating because before removing the action it was fairly standard. Can you help please? Thanks a lot for your great videos
Hi Mehran, The first thing you'll want to check is that the action is in the correct position on the keyframe and that the action brackets are all screwed down. If you could check this and let me know how it works out. If that isn't the problem we can look further into it.
howardpianoind It turns that the keys are getting better by themselves. The day I sent the comments to you about sticking keys, it was totally imposible to play on that piano. All the keys were sticky. but after one day I went back to the piano and I found it is much better (except a few keys which were probably already sticky). do you have any explanation for this?
It sounds like it could be humidity related if the sticking keys change from one day to another. Did you have the keys out in a more humid enviroment when you had them out for the keytop replacement? If so, it could be that the key bushings swelled from the higher level of humidity and when you got them back into a more normal humidity environment they shrank back down. What you could do to narrow it down is see if the action parts are moving freely in general by pushing up on the capstan to see if the action parts move without getting stuck. If they do it probably means that the sluggishness is in the actual key rather than in the action. If it is in the keys, then you'll want to check to make sure that the sides of the keys aren't rubbing against each other. From there you'll want to check the tightness of the front and balance rail key bushings. Also check to see if the balance rail hole at the bottom of the key is too tight. These things should narrow it down pretty well that you may be able to determine the source of the problem.
I have hammers on my piano that bounce and jiggle when depressed. Do you possibly know how to fix this? I've been trying to figure this out forever, it just started happening about a year ago. Im desperately trying to fix this it really hurts my practice.
The problem is most likely caused by the hammer flanges being too loose. Depending on what type of flanges you have, the flanges would probably need to be repinned with larger pins.
It's just so wrong to have a beautiful piano and not be able to use it. Terrible shame. I'm really itching to play. But those sticky keys ruin it for me!
If i press some of my keys while holding my pedal, some of the keys like you said arent playing after a while hitting them, i watched the hole vid but i dont understand how to fix..
It sounds like you have jack flanges that are too tight. We have another video which shows how to fix tight flanges: ruclips.net/video/kc5mcB1_Asg/видео.html The video is showing how to fix hammer flanges, but the repair process is the same for the jack flanges. You also might find this video to be helpful: ruclips.net/video/qCgvbtDUm6Y/видео.html
It depends on what is causing the hammers to not work. Sometimes there is a simple fix that will get the note playing again and sometimes it is much more involved and not necessarily worth the money to fix it.
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Thanks for being generous with your expertise.
My problem today:
even with the key removed the hammer is sluggish and not returning. The problem is more likely if I slowly push the jack/hammer as opposed to a quick attack which causes rebound.
Also, There is a very quiet squeek audible when that particular notes mechanism is returning... the squeek seems to be in the hammer's movement (not the jack)... hope I'm using the correct terminology. Confusingly the squeek is not always there even when the sticking is happening.
Another clue is that the after the key is released one its jacks - the on activated by the key - not the one that pushes the hammer - returns only about 3/4 of the way to its original position. Also, lifting the key up a bit knocks the mechanism back.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, Ernie Tollar
Hi Ernie, It sounds like you have tight flanges in both the jack and the hammer butt. You could verify this by removing the hammer butt and flange and checking to see how tight the pinning is. The flange should move with very little effort. (3-4 grams of resistance) The same should be with the jack flange. You would have to remove the whippen in order to check this.
THANK YOU for generously sharing this information to help us with our own pianos instead of "this is too hard for you, call a technician"
Very informative. I appreciate all of the information that you have given to me. Now if only my school would let me perform repairs on our pianos I would be able to try and find out what is wrong with the ones that we have. I struggle to understand why I pay $11,000 a year to go to a school that has only one tuned piano and several ones with keys that don't work or are out of tune...
wish i wouldve seen this comment 10 years ago. The pianos in our practice room cost more than my car at the time but they were probably out of tune for the same amount of time ive been alive.
I need to thank you so much. I suddenly had a key start sticking out of nowhere and I hadn't got a clue. I had longed for an acoustic for years and years while stuck with an electric and when I finally got him I fell completely in love. I LOVE my piano so much it's ridiculous and it was really upsetting me. I've got a great piano tuner and I know he could fix him but he's not due for another 2 months and I've not got the money to call him in right now. But from watching your video I've just fixed it! I am so relieved and happy so thank you so much. Alf says thank you too (I named my piano Alf lol). 🎶☺️🎶
Great video. I had a key that wasn’t behaving 100% like the rest. It wasn’t sticking, but it lacked that tiny nuanced final bounce. After checking everything else, I couldn’t find a reason. I did notice the key pin appeared larger than the rest, but hadn’t seen this video yet.
So, after seeing this, I remember the key pin - Turns out the key pin was turned just a bit. I placed it back to where the wider portion faces left/right, and all is perfect.
After I replaced the treble damper felts on my old Bell upright, one of the black keys was sticking. I found that the red felt on the key cover that sits above the keys, had come unglued and would not allow that one key to come up all the way. Love your videos Howard - your parts and tools are great also.
This was a great help! Thank you for sharing your trade. I actually found out that my piano (1912 Francis Bacon Player Piano) keys were sticking because of corroded felt pads below the keys. Flipped the pads over (will later replace) and lightly sanded the bottom of the keys. No more sticking keys! Glad the “stick” wasn’t in the action.
THANK YOU!!! You fixed my little Spinet 64 (that I got for free because the keys were sticking)!! I'm sooooo grateful for your video!!!! ALL they keys were fixed with a simple adjustment of the front board, except one white and one black... and I have faith that you will help me fix those, too! If I need any parts or tools, FOR SURE I am coming to you. :) Thanks again!
Hi Stephanie, Thanks for watching! Yes, when the keys are sticking on the keyslip in front of the keys, this is the easiest fix. Hopefully the other keys are a fairly easy to fix as well.
I am forever grateful to you! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise. I fixed my stuck key in a couple of seconds. Thanks to you I can play the pieces I love again!
Thanks for your videos. I finally got some confidence and took my piano's action out. I got the Protek CLP from your store. It worked great. Wound up having to do the entire action, but your videos got me through it.
Just fixed a sticky key on my piano using this video. Thanks! (The piano tuner who came earlier said that it would stop being sticky if we played it more. Yeah right! No way would that pin have turned itself. Besides - no fun playing if one of the keys doesn't lift up.)
I love you man watched your tutes from last night and was able to fix my upright piano thnx very much
This page is going to be a HUGE help to me! Thank you for teaching!
Glad it was helpful!
What an excellent video. Thank you. Our piano was bought new about 30 years ago. Our children never really took to music, so the instrument has stood idle for most of that time. Now I want to learn, so perhaps it wasn't entirely wasted. I shall now open it up and look for the cause. It's one key only, so I am hoping it isn't too bad. Best regards form the United Kingdom.
+turnitback Well, I have been right though it and cannot identify the problem. That is despite your excellent instructions, not through any fault in them, by the way. Having got right into it, I can see that it is an inferior construction. I just wishI could go back 30 years and speak to the firm that sold it!
It is an old English make, Eavestaff. At the time , we were told that the action and frame were Yamaha. In fact, it is Hyundai and, although I have no experience of pianos I can see how thrown-together it is. That being the case I am not going to spend money or any more time on this instrument. Bearing the fact in mind that I no longer mind if it ends up going for scrap, I have resorted to spraying 3-in-1 cycle oil between the stick key and its neighbours. Although I imagine that it won't be permanent, at least it has worked so far and will keep me going while learning. It is a touch out of tune, but I can live with that for a while.
This is the best video, I found on the subject. Real quality content! Thanks a lot for sharing!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for being honest and freely sharing your information. Tuners in my country are very secretive and they don't explain things to customers (even those who are musicians). I'm very grateful. Wishing you all the best!
You are so welcome, thanks for watching!
Your videos are fantastic! I was looking for tutorials over internet about how to do right maintenance on my piano, but could not find anything useful.
And here comes the day when I found your videos. This is the gold mine!!
Thank you so much for uploading all this valuable knowledge to RUclips. :)
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you found our videos and have found them to helpful. Keep watching as we continue to put out more videos regularly.
Another key problem is warpage. A slight warping of a keystick could cause the key to rub against its neighboring key causing one, or both, keys to stick.
Thanks for watching Ernest. Yes, a warping key can cause it to stick. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for sharing this. Thinking to a well maintained 1875 Steinway upright (Hamburg) I thought I’ll need all the help I can get to troubleshoot minor checkups like these.
Great video. I have a problem with one of my keys sustaining after hitting it, but the sustain pedal is not active. Any idea how to repair that condition? Only one key is doing it. Thank you!
Yes, we have a video on adjusting the sustain pedal: ruclips.net/video/fwqoHNhgbS8/видео.html
It seems like my issue is with the whippen not returning, as you described especially with the dampers lifted. I noticed it unfortunately just started happening more frequently to one of two problem keys so I’ll try and address it soon.
My piano is, inconveniently for repair, a roll player, so I hope I can somehow poke through all the machinery to get to it without gutting it first.
Thanks for the video!
Thanks so much for your videos. You're the man! This video helped me out a lot. I had a couple of sticking keys in my old piano and it was caused by corrosion on the front pins. I cleaned them all up and the keys are now playing smoothly. No sticking keys anymore. Thanks again!
Thank you for watching. I'm glad to hear my suggestions were helpful so that you could diagnose the problem with your piano.
Hi Howard, hope you are doing great.
In this video at 8:42 you mention that the sticking problem due to jack flange reveals itself when you push the damper pedal. My qiestion is what is the correlation between these two ( i. e. Damper pedal and sticky key due to tight jack flange). Because when i see the video where you explain the upright action i do not see any relation (but I agree that it is true. I have experienced that before)
Thank you
The reason that the problem is sometimes more evident with the damper pedal is that when the damper pedal is not pressed you have extra weight on the action part due to the fact that you have the damper lever spring pushing on the spoon on the back of the whippen.
Thank you for this! You're a great teacher.
Wow, I am SO glad I thought of checking for this on RUclips. I have the exact problem you went into detail about - the key that will play, then not. I am opening that sucker up tomorrow.
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge! And for being so detailed.
Wow this is the most helpful video I’ve ever seen on diagnosing sticking keys!
Wow, thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I will now have a try at sorting a couple of sticking/non playing keys on my Wife's beloved piano
GREAT VIDEO!!! I DIDN'T NOTICE THE CRACKED WOOD ON THE KEY (at holding pin) UNTIL YOU MENTIONED TO LOOK THERE! WHEN I WENT TO TAKE THE KEY OUT IT BROKE IN TWO!!!!! USED APPROPRIATE WOOD GLUE, AND NOW I'M BACK IN BUSINESS!!!!! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
I'm glad that this was helpful to you!
Thank you so much.. finally I know what's wrong with my piano
I am getting a Baldwin Hamilton studio upright from a church. The piano was manufactured in 1969.
I had a technician check it out he said it's in pretty good shape although the bridge has come away from the soundboard partially on the bass end.
But he said that wasn't a real big deal and is going to fix it and tune it for me, and lubricate the hammers.
(To the best of my recollection I don't want to misquote him but he did say something about lubricating and I thought it was the hammers)
Been doing a little reading and to me the action or the return is a little sluggish.
He said lubricating the hammers would help the action. (Again to the best of my recollection I don't want to misquote him)
Doing some reading I see there is what is called a Jack spring on each mechanism. I have worked as a mechanic most of my life and wondering, is this something I should be able to do myself? I see Jack springs for an upright piano on Amazon.
It's about $25 with shipping for a hundred of them.
After he is done moving the piano here and tuning it and lubricating the hammers, is replacing the Jack spring something I should consider and do you think that would benefit the action of my piano? I'm looking for quick repetitive action when I ultimately hone my skills in a southern rock honky tonk style.
Is there a video where you talk about replacing the Jack springs and the benefits of doing so?
wow thank you! the key slip was just screwed too much into the piano, i loosened it a bit and now it works perfectly!
That’s one of the easier fixes!
very thorough. thank you very much.
Great video Thank You!
Thank you so much for all these videos. I've learnt so much watching them. You rule!
Great video, very informative, covers so many possible causes and fixes for common problems! Thanks!
Very great, pragmatic and comprehensive tuition..Compliments.
Thank you for such a comprehensive tutorial! I was given a Lester Betsey Ross Spinet that had not been turned in a long time , thanks to your instruction , it sounds GREAT now! Thank you so very much!
your videos are very helpful. thanks for posting. we appreciate it very much.
Thank you for this and all your informative and well-presented videos. Great work, and I love ordering parts from your site. Easy to use, good quality, and trustworthy.
Thanks for sharing Steve.
Best one so far!!
Small piece of paper was sticking mine up, glad I kept watching lol
Thank you so much! I just bought a piano at a huge discount because the owner did not want to have a technician fix four dead keys. My husband got .31 cents out from between the keys! lol The piano is perfect now.Thanks for the tips.
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
Just watched the video and it's very instructive. My problem is probably more of a flange pin problem (repetition on key eventually makes it stick) but the other thing I noticed is that the lower action piece moves sloppily left and right when I wiggle it in place, whereas the other keys' action pieces stay put. Is that indicative of another issue?
It could be that the pin is too loose and is coming out. If you look in to where the pin is you may be able to see if the end of the pin is sticking out of the flange.
Much appreciated! Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching Tricia. I'm glad you enjoyed this.
Super informative. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
I just bought a 1960's Wurlitzer spinet. The f key left of middle c was playing intermittently. After looking into the action, I noticed the jack was leaning on the jack just to the right of it. After further inspection, I found the jack pin almost all the way out of the flange (this is what caused the jack to move way out of position to strike the hammer butt). I managed to slide the pin back into place....and this worked for awhile, but the pin eventually slid back out. Have you ever seen problem before? I called out a piano tech....I'm hoping he can find a slightly larger pin to fix this...
Hi Robby,
Congratulations on diagnosing the problem. Yes, the flange will need to be repinned with a larger pin. I have seen this problem before. It's not uncommon for it to happen on any of the action flanges. When a new pin is put in the flange it will need to be sized for the new pin size with a flange broach. Any good piano technician should have center pins and the tools needed to do this repair. It is fairly simple if you have the right equipment.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, I have an old piano off a ship and am about to restore it but no nothing of the internals of the piano! I trust myself though especially with the knowledge you have bestowed upon me hahah cheers
You can do it!
Thanks! Your videos are amazing! One thing I notice on one key of mine: The jack seems to be pressing a little too hard against the hammer but so that when the key is pressed, it kind of sticks then shoots out to where it is supposed to go. How would I remedy this?
If you feel the jack or the leather on the hammer butt, do they feel nice and smooth or are they kind of sticky. One or both of these may either need to be cleaned or lubricated. It could be that something sticky go tin the action.
Great video. Very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
This was incredible! Thank you! It turns out I had out of place hammer springs! Easy put back in place
Thanks very much Steve for a very informative video!!!
Thanks for this video. For my piano i press is ok but sometimes it got stuck only the white key i have to press it again to make it bounce up? Whats the issue im having
Many thanks for this very informative video. I have a particular problem. I have just purchased a brand new upright piano with a Renner action with Renner hammers. However, I am finding that I sometimes play keys that do not sound, or do not sound properly. I am pretty sure it is because I am releasing some keys too slowly. So I went through the whole 88 notes playing each one releasing at different speeds. Nearly 90% of notes had an issue, some far worse than others. If I quickly released a key after playing, there was no problem. Some had to be released very slowly (impractically slowly) to show a problem, but others at greater release speeds which meant I could not play properly.
I do not believe it is an issue with lost motion, as pulling on the rest rail a little and the hammers do move with it, though when pressing a key the hammer appears to move immediately. So, given the piano is brand new, with a quality action, all I could think is that it may be due to humidity. It is summer and we have had a lot of rain and humidity is currently around 70% at present (had the piano two weeks). Any ideas?
I would add that my other piano (a Ritmuller RS122) in the same room and only a year old (but 1.5hrs of play a day), has no issues whatsoever and indeed the action is far better than the Renner for repetition as I can play very quickly on the same note without the key having to come back to the top, which is impossible with the Renner action which blocks unless the key returns to the top.
Any help much appreciated.
This really sounds like a lost motion problem to me. Try this test, shim up the hammer rest rail by just 1/32" or so by inserting thin cardboard between the blocks of felt that are holding the hammer rail up and the action brackets. This will increase slightly the space between all the tops of the jacks and the bottom of the hammer butts. See if this solves the problem. If it does you can just glue the shims in place or increase the lost motion on each note a hair by lowering each capstan.
@@howardpianoind Thank you ever so much for your reply. You were spot on. I did as you said and everything was sorted. However, as the notes vary a bit one to another in respect of their lost motion, I will need to get the capstans adjusted individually. Somewhat disappointing for a brand new piano, which has been very carefully regulated in the factory, though could a change in humidity, i.e. an increase, cause say the length of the jack to increase slightly so causing this issue? Many thanks again.
I apologize for the late response. Yes, that could definitely be the issue.
Excelent! Pure knowledge, Thanks for sharing !
Very informative. Thank you very much for sharing and using time to share your knowledge and profession.
Thank You for the idea. 5 Stars for me! 👍👍👍👍
Brilliant, thank you!
I’m curious about piano repair school. Is this something you just learn on the job or is there a place I can go to become a piano repairman?
There are schools that offer training. There are a few colleges that have programs. There are also a couple of correspondence school options. Here is a video that has more information on this subject: ruclips.net/video/LpoyLy3kyWE/видео.html
I have a problem with sticky black keys. When I press a black key the front of the black key gets stuck to the white key and therefor isn't able to come back up. Any idea how I can fix this problem?
You will probably have to file the keytop for the white key a bit to allow room for the sharp to return.
What are the thin spongy wires that come down to make the hammer return? Some of mine are broken or bent out of shap, can you help? Any tutorials on this? THANKS!
Do you mean the bridle strap? Or the backcheck?
Hi Chris, Yes, we do have a video on replacing the hammer butt springs: ruclips.net/video/Mtfazycm-tA/видео.html
Great video and explanation!
Awesome video! Would this advice also be useful if the key is stuck up/won't depress?
The most likely cause of a key not being able to be pushed down would be if there were an object stuck either under the key or something lodged between two keys.
I have some front row pins that are rotated like you said in the video, and they are causing my keys to stick. I tried rotating them back to the correct orientation, however I was not able to do so by simply using my fingers. Do you have any tools or techniques to recommend in order to rotate the pins back into the correct position?
Hi Ben,
Thanks for watching. Yes, the front rail pins are generally too tight to be able to turn with your fingers. There is a tool that is made that is designed to turn and bend the pins when needed. It is called an Offset Key Spacer. Here is a link to this tool in our online store: www.howardpianoindustries.com/offset-key-spacer/
Thanks so much!
Hey Howard! Me and a friend have been working on a upright piano and we took off all the bridal strips to tighten the action and when we put them back on now some of the keys stick and the hammers are heavy. I did some research and it seems to be a common mistake for first timers to do something like this. Something the jack in the hammer system causing it?
Very useful. Thank you! 🙂
Glad it was helpful!
another method apparently is to depress firmly & slowly but gently move the key from side to side whilst depressing it so it causes the felt bushings in the key to self-compact once again and ease the sticking key?
-does this sound right?
Can you test the jack pin tightness without removing the piano action? Can you lubricate it as a least effort attempt at a fix? If yes, what lubricant to use?
You can get a general sense of how tight the jack pinning is without removing the action, but it is hard to get a real sense of how tight it is without taking the whippen out. You can try lubricating the jack pin. The proper lubricant to use is Protek CLP which can be purchased from our online store: www.howardpianoindustries.com/protek-clp-lubricant-for-piano-action-parts/
You saved my piano. I went thru 5, literally techs trying to solve sticky keys, not one removed the action. They oiled the keys, the action, they adjusted, one used a hair dryer, one suggested weights on the keys, each time the keys started sticking again after a few weeks. I finally I pulled one action myself and the whippen pin was OK but the other (I've forgotten the name, the one for the action itself) pin was very stiff. I paid tech #6 $200 ( a steal, he set the price) to repin all 88. Problem solved.@@howardpianoind
Well done!
Outstanding!
Thank you for this video! It helped me a lot :)
This is most interesting. I hv an old piano that has a couple of keys that sometimes don't play. professional piano tuner said the springs are weak. will try my hand at replacing the springs for the challenge. thx so much! btw are the wooden parts for the keys all standard for all pianos? the hammer, keys, jack etc
Many of the wooden parts are standard sizes so that many spinet size pianos will use similar parts or many console pianos will use the same size parts. However, the keys themselves ( the key sticks) are not interchangable and are cut to fit each individual piano or at least each model of piano.
@@howardpianoind got it, thx!
What about when the key can’t be pushed in at all?
My grandparents have a Story & Clark cabinet grand, and I was hoping to see if I could fix some of the keys, and hopefully tune it. My first issue is I don’t even know how to open the front panel to view the hammers or action though. It’s really hard to find tutorials on this stuff.
Thanks alot for the info!!! very helpful!!!
Hi Howard. I got problem in my old piano ( Ottostein , around 20 years ). Some key pin are twisted so it can not move freely. Can you show me how can I reform the twisted key pin?
Yes, the pins can be twisted using an Offset Key Spacer. Here is a link to this tool in our store: www.howardpianoindustries.com/offset-key-spacer/
...thanks for posting....very helpful....wish me luck.....
I have a D and D# keys that seem to be rubbing against each other way in the very back. Is that fixable or do I have to get them replaced?
Thank you so much for your generosity.
Do you renew some videos or come with new items. I is all on a slow motion scale. Thank you for your support since 4 years ago.
We've recently started adding some new videos and will continue to add more as time allows.
great help thanx
Thank you.
Thank you kindly for this
What happens when the hammer does not reset to its resting position? I looked and nothing seemed broken nor loose nor lacking any spring/parts. Just baffles the mind.
Also can the sustain pedal rod be repaired as its tip is rusted and broken off? Or does it need to be replaced completely? Where do you even get parts like that? What's the cost?
I have Steinway baby grand. Somehow a pencil rolled down the key lid and is lodged between the strings and the keys. How do I get the lid that covers the keys off to get the pencil out? Thanks
Hi Dee,
You'll need to take off the fallboard. On a Steinway grand piano it is removed the same as I show in this video: ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=xd7_g9LL9rE
My daughter and son-in-in law bought a used Aerosonic by Baldwin Saturday from FB Marketplace in our little Texas town and it has several problematic keys. I told her "it's not rocketscience" and I might be able to fix, so they bought it. There was a bunch of mouse nesting material inside and a pen lodged inside under the wippens ? ...which we painstakingly removed. Now most of the keys work, except for 2 that have cracks near that part (where you said they often break) and several in a row that go down and stay there. My question is, how do you get the lid (the lid that slide over the keys)? we removed most of the other parts that were interfering with seeing what was going on, but couldn't figure out how to remove that. The previous owners kept it in their barn ! and so it has a lot of grit/sand/dirt in all the nooks and crannies (It was 10pm and very dark when we decided we needed to use their UHaul truck to get a piano before we had to return it). I told her we'd tackle the piano again after we researched it...then I came across your very thorough and helpful video. Thank you! Thank you!! THANK YOU!!!
Greetings :D!
I'm interested in change my Upright Piano Hammers; So I wonder; Do you know some place or web site where can I buy them?
Thanks for your help
Hi Carlos,
Yes, we do sell full sets of piano hammers. Right now we don't have them listed on our website as they require specific details in order to get you the right ones. Please contact me through our website and I can help you get what you need: howardpianoindustries.com/contact-us/
Thanks for help friend. I'm going to contact you right now :D!
Awesome video.
...mkay...
Great video, though I don’t think I can trust myself to do that lol
Great !
Hi, I have a different problem with my piano and i hope you can help. I took out the mechanism to look for problems and i found one. I can not get it back without blocking all of the keys. I called someone and she said to be sure the pedal sticks are in the holes but this doesn't work because there are no holes. Do you have any idea to get them keys going again? Thanks, Ton
Hi Ton,
Is it that the hammers are all pushing forward when you put the action back in. If this is the case, it could be that your bridle straps are broken or not adjusted correctly. If this is happening, it means the jacks are getting stuck underneath the hammer butt felt rather than in front of the felt.
Basically, if you have structural problems with the piano such as lots of cracks in the bridges or cracks in the soundboard that are causing buzzing noises, or if there are many sticking keys that would take a lot of work to fix, then you may want to consider if it is worth putting the money or time into getting these things repaired. If it's just one or two sticking keys and the piano seems structurally sound, then it may be a decent piano. Obviously there are other things to consider as well, but these are some general guidelines.
Hi Howard, Thanks for the advice. The case is that it worked just fine before i took the mechanical part out except for 1 key. Now all keys are jammed. It must be something simple, as it mostly is..
It sounds like the jack tops are getting jammed up under the bottom of the hammer butt felt. Are you able to see if the jacks are too far toward the back of the action?
howardpianoind
Could you resend your text/ email address so that I can send you the video? I seem to have lost the address that you sent me. Thank you.
I have a key that when you strike it is hard and does not want to go down what is that? How would you fix it?
I have a problem with a "squeaking key". the key bushing kind of rubs on to that metal pin and produces that sound. i watched a video where u can get a screw driver and just push the bushing against the wood away from the pin. that worked for a lot of the notes that squeaked except a few that were squeaking a lot. how can i fix this?
its coming form the balance rail.
A good solution to this to apply some Protek CLP to the bushing.
My piano got one key that is sticky only when the pedal is pressed. But it rebounds pretty quickly with pedal is released. My tuner had a look at it but he couldn't fix it. What could be the cause?
Hi Steve. Did you ever have these straight-strung.overdamped uprights in the USA in the 1800s/early 1900s as we had here in Britain? David Boyce one of the local piano tuners here has a great website with lots of info about the apparnt "Cottage Industry" of piano workshops churning out budget pianos in the heyday of the piano in the 1880s and 1890s and later and they used the birdcage action. I'd presume you had the same sorta industry over there too.
That action reminds me of my very first piano in white it was straight-strung and semitone flat and really out of tune. I also played a very worn Arthur Allison & Co upright which I have a video andnsome photos of this week, the action was very light which I like even though that's not what a good action is for developing finger strength but it really reminded me as I'd forgot what my first piano sounded and felt like. Great videos keep em up. www.davidboyce.co.uk/birdcage-pianos.php
Hi Sam, I've never personally seen a piano with a birdcage type action. I've only seen pictures. From what I had heard the birdcage actions were primarily a piano type that were made in Great Britain. We did have many piano manufacturers here in the US during the late 1800's and early 1900's. I think the reason for this is that it was the primary form of home entertainment and music was what people often did for enjoyment in the home. Because there wasn't a way to play recorded music, people had to create their own. Once the radio was invented and eventually the television and other forms of entertainment, the piano lost some of it's popularity. Personally, I enjoy sitting down and playing the piano for an hour over sitting in front of the TV.
Same here, espeically with alot of the rubbish on TV these days. Yeah I think the birdcage pianos were more populer over here and in Germany by people like Bluthner although that type of action was discontinued quicker in Germany and alot of other places in favor of the modern action we have today it was really just us who kept it in budget level pianos right up til the 1950s hence why alot of the British makers went out of business because they didn't keep up with the German and European makers as much. Kemble closed it's doors in 2009 they are now made by Yamaha but toned in Britian the Kemble factory is closed now I think they're all made in Japan. Real shame as at one time we were one of the main hubs for piano building as was America and we could make good pianos when we wanted to.
Nice to see ye Back Steve.
I think it was actually a John Broadwood thing, of course one of the inventors of the pianoforte, certainly the oldest piano maker who was still about since 1728.
They were the last to give in to building a moder cross-strung frame as John Broadwood preferred the sound of the older straight-strung pianos, I heard that from somebody can't remember who but when I find out I'll certainly mention them.
They actually did some very cool things like the "Barless" grand with no split in the bass and treble sections of the piano which apparently give em much better tone at the breakpoint or something like that.
Ye still see a number of em kicking about over here.
Here's one.
www.gumtree.com/p/pianos/john-broadwood-barless-grand-piano-tuned-uk-delivery-available-/1365894806
Very well......tank's
I don't know the names of the parts or anything but basically,a little square of felt fell off and that keys still plys good but the felt is stuck under another key and that key I have to press really hard to play it,I don't wanna spend 100s of dollars to get it fixed,and suggestions?
You should be able to just take the key out and remove the felt from under it. If you need to know how to take the key out, here is a video which shows how to disassemble the piano so you can get at it: ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=RxFeBcsGtgg
Hi Howard. I got a problem. I just remove the action in a grand piano and remove the keys to replace all key tops. After putting back the action on keyboard I realized most of the keys are not working correctly. They became sticky. The touch is weird. And it's completely impossible to play a song on it. I assume there should be problem other than regulating because before removing the action it was fairly standard. Can you help please? Thanks a lot for your great videos
Hi Mehran,
The first thing you'll want to check is that the action is in the correct position on the keyframe and that the action brackets are all screwed down. If you could check this and let me know how it works out. If that isn't the problem we can look further into it.
howardpianoind
It turns that the keys are getting better by themselves. The day I sent the comments to you about sticking keys, it was totally imposible to play on that piano. All the keys were sticky. but after one day I went back to the piano and I found it is much better (except a few keys which were probably already sticky). do you have any explanation for this?
It sounds like it could be humidity related if the sticking keys change from one day to another. Did you have the keys out in a more humid enviroment when you had them out for the keytop replacement? If so, it could be that the key bushings swelled from the higher level of humidity and when you got them back into a more normal humidity environment they shrank back down. What you could do to narrow it down is see if the action parts are moving freely in general by pushing up on the capstan to see if the action parts move without getting stuck. If they do it probably means that the sluggishness is in the actual key rather than in the action. If it is in the keys, then you'll want to check to make sure that the sides of the keys aren't rubbing against each other. From there you'll want to check the tightness of the front and balance rail key bushings. Also check to see if the balance rail hole at the bottom of the key is too tight. These things should narrow it down pretty well that you may be able to determine the source of the problem.
I have hammers on my piano that bounce and jiggle when depressed. Do you possibly know how to fix this? I've been trying to figure this out forever, it just started happening about a year ago. Im desperately trying to fix this it really hurts my practice.
The problem is most likely caused by the hammer flanges being too loose. Depending on what type of flanges you have, the flanges would probably need to be repinned with larger pins.
It's just so wrong to have a beautiful piano and not be able to use it. Terrible shame. I'm really itching to play. But those sticky keys ruin it for me!
If i press some of my keys while holding my pedal, some of the keys like you said arent playing after a while hitting them, i watched the hole vid but i dont understand how to fix..
It sounds like you have jack flanges that are too tight. We have another video which shows how to fix tight flanges: ruclips.net/video/kc5mcB1_Asg/видео.html The video is showing how to fix hammer flanges, but the repair process is the same for the jack flanges. You also might find this video to be helpful: ruclips.net/video/qCgvbtDUm6Y/видео.html
i have three dead keys is there anything i can do the piano tunner said my hammers are shot that also the felt on the keys is had it
It depends on what is causing the hammers to not work. Sometimes there is a simple fix that will get the note playing again and sometimes it is much more involved and not necessarily worth the money to fix it.
the piano tunner said that it would cost more then it is worth thanks for your reply i was hoping