Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Damper Pedal Noise (not the "whooshing" sound)

First off, I want to be clear that I’m not referring here to the “whooshing” sound of the dampers coming off the strings.

I have a Kawai RX2, about 1 year old. When I press the damper pedal I can hear the very noticeable sound of two surfaces rubbing together. It is quite distracting when playing slow or quiet pieces. I’m not sure what is causing the noise but is it normal to hear anything other than that “whooshing” noise (which I understand is quite normal) when pressing the pedal?

I’ve listened to countless solo piano recordings and never here this. I can only assume that if I recorded myself the sound I’m hearing would be audible.

I have a tech coming tomorrow for a tuning and I’m going to talk to him about it. I don’t want him to just brush it off as normal when perhaps it is not.

Look forward to any replies.

Thanks.

Brent

Certainly the noise you refer to is not normal, but no one but your technician can determine the source and the cause of the noise. It would be pure guess work without experiencing it live, so make sure your technician addresses the problem.

I don't consider the "whooshing" sound of the dampers leaving the strings as normal, either. A properly regulated action and pedal mechanism shouldn't produce any extraneous sounds.

Regards,

It is not normal. My advice is to call your tech today to let him know about the pedal, don't wait until he gets there tomorrow to tune. He will appreciate knowing ahead of time. It may be something simple, or it may require some investigating on his part. Pedal noises can, sometimes, be difficult to figure out.

Thanks for the responses. If you're interested, I've put an update in the Tech forum titled "Damper Pedal Noise From Damper Guide Rail Bushings"