What is piano regulation and how can it help my piano sound great again!

For the serious pianist, the touch of a piano is just as important as the tone of the piano.  When a piano begins to lose it's efficiency and responsiveness in the mechanical action of the piano, it is said to have gone “out of regulation.” This means adjustments that were set at the factory no longer are accurate.   A regulation involves three systems in your piano: the damper, the action, and the trapwork..  A regulation will put the action parts of your piano back in the proper relationship with each other and the rest of the piano so it can operate at its maximum potential again.

Here’s a list of the many moving parts that occasionally need to be regulated.

• Tighten screws (reduce clicking, rattling, or buzzing noises coming from your piano, makes for smoother playing)
• Pedal Adjustment (helps make dampers more effective, makes your piano more responsive to pedal input)
• Aftertouch (nice solid, crisp, responsive feel to the keys, can help with sticking keys)
• Let-off (reduce mushy feel, maximize dynamic expression, eliminates double striking or hammers stifling the sound, most frequent cause of sticking keys)
• Damper Alignment & Lube (stop pesky notes that still ring after you let up on the sustain pedal)
• Key Dip (how far you can push the keys down, helps to smooth repeat playing)
• Key Spacing & Leveling (does your piano need braces? significantly improves appearance, can help with sticking keys)
• Hammer Blow Distance (distance from resting position to the strings, gives you more power)
• Action Height (facilitate smoother, quieter soft pedal operation)
• Key Height (how high the top of the keys are, gives you more power, quicker repeat playing)

(list taken from enjoyyourpiano.com)

So if you are noticing sticky keys on your upright or grand piano, keys that are not level, hammers double bouncing, or an unevenness of touch and tone, call us at 801-701-0113  to schedule a regulation or a piano tuning by one of our expert piano technicians!  You can also visit our website at brighamlarsonpianos.com. We would love to help you get the touch of your piano feeling great again! Or, if you are ready to upgrade or trade in your used piano to a new one, we offer many options.  We are Utah’s exclusive Hailun Piano Dealer!  

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