Common faults & repairs
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Pianos need regular tuning to keep them up to pitch. The hammers of pianos are voiced to compensate for gradual hardening, and other parts also need periodic regulation. Aged and worn pianos can be rebuilt or reconditioned. Often, by replacing a great number of their parts, they can be made to perform as well as new pianos. Older pianos are often more settled and produce a warmer tone.
Piano moving should be done by trained piano movers using adequate manpower and the correct equipment for any particular piano's size and weight. Pianos are heavy yet delicate instruments and making adjustments without the aid of a professional could exacerbate a problem or even ruin the instrument.
Over the years, professional piano movers have also developed special techniques for transporting both Grand's and Uprights, which prevent damage to the case and to the piano's mechanics. The eight common faults pianos experience are : -
Piano moving should be done by trained piano movers using adequate manpower and the correct equipment for any particular piano's size and weight. Pianos are heavy yet delicate instruments and making adjustments without the aid of a professional could exacerbate a problem or even ruin the instrument.
Over the years, professional piano movers have also developed special techniques for transporting both Grand's and Uprights, which prevent damage to the case and to the piano's mechanics. The eight common faults pianos experience are : -
Sticky / stuck keys
A slight wiggle may help slide it back to its original state. It is however necessary to let a maintenance technician examine what the root cause of the problem is since this could be a symptom of a bigger problem.
Some of the reasons for sticky keys are : -
Some of the reasons for sticky keys are : -
- Physical Blockages: Small crumbly substances like food bits may have gone under the key to cause obstruction for the keys to become jammed.
- Humidity Issues: Moisture can cause damage to a piano because it is built using wood. Humidity causes the keys or the front rail of your piano to become bloated resulting in alignment and spacing issues. Keeping hot beverages away from your instrument, and maintaining the optimum temperature for the environment where the instrument is placed will avoid humidity fluctuations and the bloating of the keys.
- Tight Key Bushings: Piano keys rely on two different pins (balance and guiding pin) to ensure the key rocks on its fulcrum and stays appropriately aligned. These pins rest inside a felt-cushioned part of the pin. If these felt bushings are too tight because they are new or moisture has made them swell, the pins will not move freely and the key will stick or move slowly.
- A Warped Key Slip: It’s possible that the key slip has become warped. This causes friction between the key and the slip, preventing it from returning to its natural position.
Damaged or dirty keys
With time and improper maintenance, piano keys get damaged. Dirt particles, oily human hands and lack of light over time all discolors piano keys. To slow this process, cover the piano when not in use and make sure that ivory keys get at least a little light to keep them white or they’ll turn yellow.
After playing, use a soft, dry rag to wipe away any dirt or oils from your hands. Do not use alcohol, soap water, or other un-prescribed cleaning agents when cleaning your piano keys as these could cause lasting damage like swell, warped or cracked keys to your piano. Speak to a piano shop consultant or maintenance technician for the do’s and don’ts in piano keys cleansing and maintenance.
After playing, use a soft, dry rag to wipe away any dirt or oils from your hands. Do not use alcohol, soap water, or other un-prescribed cleaning agents when cleaning your piano keys as these could cause lasting damage like swell, warped or cracked keys to your piano. Speak to a piano shop consultant or maintenance technician for the do’s and don’ts in piano keys cleansing and maintenance.
Rattling or buzzing sounds
Rattling or buzzing sound from your piano can be caused by an object on/in your piano catching the vibration or the result of some serious technical issue. If an object is the cause of the vibration, then identifying and removing it will resolve the problem.
If on the other hand the reason for the vibration isn’t a misplaced object, then you could be dealing with a structural problem for which you need a piano technician to help you diagnose and resolve before it worsens.
The likely reasons will include cracked glue joints, loose bridge pins or loose screws, all of which only a capable technician can repair. Aged pianos can also wear along places near the strings, or even on the strings themselves. Once again, there is little to be done at this point aside from having the piano serviced by a professional technician.
If on the other hand the reason for the vibration isn’t a misplaced object, then you could be dealing with a structural problem for which you need a piano technician to help you diagnose and resolve before it worsens.
The likely reasons will include cracked glue joints, loose bridge pins or loose screws, all of which only a capable technician can repair. Aged pianos can also wear along places near the strings, or even on the strings themselves. Once again, there is little to be done at this point aside from having the piano serviced by a professional technician.
Out of tune
The recommended frequency of the maintenance/servicing of your piano is twice per year. Such maintenance will include the tuning of your instrument. Piano tuning requires more than just a few twists of a tuning peg or a minor valve adjustment. If done properly and regularly, your piano should not fall out of tune nearly as often as a guitar or a trumpet.
Age, frequency of use, humidity and the temperature around where the piano sits are the fundamental reasons for tuning your instrument. Another reason is the pin block swelling or shrinking due to environmental changes. This can shift the tuning pins slightly, can leave the pins loose and cause tuning issues.
Neglecting these problems or trying to repair the piano yourself can lead to costly and complex future repairs. It is therefore important to have a qualified technician regularly inspect and service your piano.
Touching the strings or tuning pins with your bare hands also oxidises the metal and once this has started, rust quickly sets in compromising the strength of the string. The chance of breaking a string or requiring new tuning pins at this point increases drastically. The oils from your hands are only the beginning of these dangers. Without the proper tools or knowledge of the proper tuning, you run the risk of damaging the pins themselves, which would could then require new pins or even repair to the pin block.
Age, frequency of use, humidity and the temperature around where the piano sits are the fundamental reasons for tuning your instrument. Another reason is the pin block swelling or shrinking due to environmental changes. This can shift the tuning pins slightly, can leave the pins loose and cause tuning issues.
Neglecting these problems or trying to repair the piano yourself can lead to costly and complex future repairs. It is therefore important to have a qualified technician regularly inspect and service your piano.
Touching the strings or tuning pins with your bare hands also oxidises the metal and once this has started, rust quickly sets in compromising the strength of the string. The chance of breaking a string or requiring new tuning pins at this point increases drastically. The oils from your hands are only the beginning of these dangers. Without the proper tools or knowledge of the proper tuning, you run the risk of damaging the pins themselves, which would could then require new pins or even repair to the pin block.
A Note or Group of Notes that doesn't sound right
An easy to recognize but difficult to diagnose problem is when keys fail to sound a note. This is mostly always a string or hammer issue, but diagnosing this problem can be difficult because other issues could also cause it, which is why a professional piano technician is so vital. The repairs involve working with the metal mechanisms inside, which can bring with it additional problems.
The piano technician will check for : -
The piano technician will check for : -
- Broken or Misaligned Hammer Mechanisms: It seems obvious, but if the mechanism that strikes the string is either broken or missing the string, there will be no sound. The technician will replace or realign the hammer, depending on the condition of the mechanism.
- Broken or Torn Strings: If the string is on the verge of breaking or has already broken, the hammer may not make solid contact and the string may not vibrate correctly, which will result in a lack of sound.
- Tuning Issues: One other possibility is that the string has fallen out of tune. In this case, the hammer makes contact, but the string does not have enough tension to make a sound. If this is the case, especially with only one note, it could mean the tuning pin has come loose and will require repairs.
Notes sustain for too long
While having strong resonance and sustain is important when you push the sustain pedal, it can become a problem if specific notes always carry past the key release. This can be caused by one of the most challenging issues to identify since the causes are more ambiguous than broken strings or hammers.
Only a piano technician can effectively diagnose the exact underlying cause. Some possible reasons are : -
Only a piano technician can effectively diagnose the exact underlying cause. Some possible reasons are : -
- Rusty or Broken Damper Springs: Upright pianos have springs that return the damper to the string once the key is released. If these springs are damaged, the dampers will be delayed or fail to return at all, causing unwanted sustain.
- Worn Axis Felt: The axis felt needs to be adjusted. If this portion of the action has become depressed or packed, the sustain will continue.
- Obstructions: There may be an obstruction that interferes with the damper returning to the string if some part has broken inside the piano before. Once the obstruction is removed, the sustain should return to normal.
Sustain pedal isn't working
On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes you’ll notice your notes don’t retain resonance once you lift your fingers from the keys, even when you have the sustain pedal pressed firmly to the floor.
Thankfully, the issue is generally easy to find since it almost always entails the sustain pedal itself or the attached lever, meaning it may require an adjustment to the pedal action or a realignment of the lever that controls the dampers. In rare cases, the lever itself will cause the assembly to be misaligned. In any case, your technician should be able to give you a better sense of what adjustment they need to make when they look at your sustain pedal.
Thankfully, the issue is generally easy to find since it almost always entails the sustain pedal itself or the attached lever, meaning it may require an adjustment to the pedal action or a realignment of the lever that controls the dampers. In rare cases, the lever itself will cause the assembly to be misaligned. In any case, your technician should be able to give you a better sense of what adjustment they need to make when they look at your sustain pedal.
Piano sounds muffled
Another piano problem is poor voicing by the instrument. This is when the instrument doesn’t have the clarity and harmonic tones that gives it the kind of sound expected. If you plan to have your piano voiced, it will also need high-level tuning before the voicing adjustments.
If your voicing is muffled, then you perhaps have one of two problems : -
If your voicing is muffled, then you perhaps have one of two problems : -
- Hammer Displacement: The density and resilience of the hammer’s head makes a significant impact on how your piano sounds. In the case of a muffled sound, you will need more dense replacements to deliver sharper sound. In other situations, the heads can be too dense and cause a harshness in the tone, in which case they can be softened rather than replaced.
- Action Alignment: The action is the overall striking mechanism. If the striking mechanism is out of alignment, the hammers will not make direct contact, and your piano will have a weak or muffled tone. As always, it’s critical to have a skilled technician examine the piano and make the proper adjustments. A trained ear can return the vibrancy and colour to your old piano, but a novice can easily further disrupt the action.