DOES YOUR PIANO NEED REGULATION?

If you’ve ever noticed that not all of the keys are playing evenly, and that sound quality is suffering, your piano might need regulation.

Last month I wrote about the touch and tone of a piano. Regulation is how technicians restore a balanced touch so that all of your piano’s keys require the same amount of force to play a note.

A piano is originally regulated in the factory. High-end pianos are often better regulated in the factory than cheaper pianos. Over time, all pianos go out of regulation. Here is some information about this repair.

WHEN DOES YOUR PIANO NEED REGULATION?

If you’ve ever played an old, worn piano, you may notice that some of the keys require more force to play than others. Normally, all of the keys should require the same amount of force to play.

The easiest way to tell that the piano needs regulation is to look along the keyboard. If the keys appear physical uneven, the piano needs regulation.

A piano goes out of regulation because of normal wear. Over time, playing the piano causes the felt parts to become worn and compressed. That compression throws off the contact points and performance deteriorates.

HOW IS A PIANO REGULATED?

Regulation is performed at the piano. A technician will adjust the hammer blow, take up lost motion, adjust the hammer letoff and set the keydip. Adjustments are made to every key individually, so piano regulation is a somewhat extensive job. However, it doesn’t require dismantling the action as other action repairs do.

HOW OFTEN DOES YOUR PIANO NEED REGULATION?

Not all pianos wear the same way. A piano that is played very often will wear more quickly and requires this service sooner than a piano that isn’t played often. For a majority of pianos, regulation is needed every 5-10 years.

IF YOU THINK YOUR PIANO NEEDS REGULATION, CALL BRUCE PIANO.

This is one of the many services that we offer here at Bruce Piano. If your piano is playing unevenly and you’d like to restore its play quality to like-new condition, call 405-749-3540.