Piano Tuner West Virginia Explains Piano Action Regulation

As your piano tuner West Virginia and the surrounding areas, I find there is often confusion among piano owners as to the meaning of the term “action regulation.” This article will give an overview of the meaning of the term, and subsequent articles will give specific information on the procedure.

The design of a piano action was an important breakthrough, because it made possible having a “touch-sensitive”action on a concert instrument. Prior to the invention of the piano action, the only touch-sensitive piano keyboard instrument was the clavichord, which had so soft a tone that it could be used only in a small room. The invention of the piano action stemmed from the concept of an escapement mechanism which would move the propelling mechanism when a hammer is close to the string, so that the hammer may strike the string and rebound, allowing the string to vibrate at a higher volume, suitable for a concert hall.

It takes a relatively complex mechanism to not only accomplish the initial strike of the string, but also to return the mechanism quickly to home position, so that the note may be struck again in rapid succession. The initial structure, which allows escapement is called a “jack.” The portion of the mechanism that allows rapid return of the jack for subsequent striking is called the repetition lever. A piano action uses these parts and all three types of levers in a very precise arrangement. The modern piano action has ten major adjustments and numerous minor alignments and settings in order for the action to work properly. Some of these adjustments are relatively stable, and some need adjusting every few years, in order for the action to work properly.

Making these adjustments to the piano action is termed “action regulation.” Action regulation can have many meanings. It can mean simply adjusting one variable, or any number of them, depending on what the piano needs. A “complete action regulation” usually means that the technician will check and/or adjust every variable.

Our next article will describe various specific action regulation procedures. If you have any questions about pianos, please let us know. Harker Piano Service is your piano tuning West Virginia expert. We also provide professional piano services in the surrounding areas.