Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Manual sordine/damper and keybed feeling

I'm taught on an upright, and when I activate the manual damper the keybed feels much better to my fingers, therefore I no longer play so many missed notes or chords. Of course the fact that a felt rag is between the hammer and the string is what causes this, and I was wondering if it might be taken as a regulation matter. I mean, without damper the keybed is sticky and not very responsive (specially compared to a DP or a new AP in which you feel the strings on the fingertips as soon as you play). And with the damper fixed, wow, seems someone has worked on it!! (At last )

So my question is: should this much be taken as a symptom of some regulation issue?

Thank you.

You want to take a look inside - what actually happens is the hammers are put closer to the strings when you press on the quiet pedal (left pedal) on an upright. Or do you mean the right pedal?

I mean what here in Spain is commonly called "celesta", which is the mechanism that allows you to permanently keep the felt on the strings. It's not the una corda pedal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No_BSSIGPp4
When it is engaged, the keybed feels stiffer, which in this particular case is desirable because usually this piano is a bit stinky.
I figured that this could proof a regulation is needed. Just a thought...

Oh, a celeste rail. I've got one I manually put in (actually just a pole with felt tacked on). Hopefully one of our many techs will jump in with sound advice!

I think your instinct is correct - there is a regulation issue. Well, the fact that the keyboard isn't responding as you would like, is a regulation issue. The fact that it seems to improve with the celeste rail engaged, is a curiosity.

What is happening is that the celeste rail is effectively moving the contact point of the strings closer to the hammers. This will give a similar feeling as the letoff and blow distance being reduced. These two adjustments are part of the core of a good regulation, and tend to increase with time. So the celeste felt is, in a way, un-de-regulating the piano!

Good detective work! Is the piano yours? Time to talk to a technician, if it is!