H. Willermann UP-110 "strange" sounds

Giovanni, we have to go by process of elimination!, let's take it step by step: does this 'intermittent' noise intensify or change in any way if you use the right pedal, the sustain pedal??

No, it remains the same, except that it continues even if I lift my finger from the key with the sustain pedal, but normally it is only heard until the damper intervenes.

I understand, I was hoping something would change (on new pianos, the levers that connect the pedals to the action are connected with iron screws that easily loosen)

Now I think we need to focus on the dampers or the equidistance of the strings, so let's wait for Paolo to intervene.

P.S. In the meantime, open the front panel of the piano; you are young, learn right away to observe the instrument you play, it is fascinating and very instructive. To do this, it is sufficient to remove the blocks which are almost always placed on the right and left sides inside the piano. Take a light and check that you have unlocked the panel, then by pulling it towards you it will come off, and since they are generally lightweight panels, the operation is not problematic! It seems like you're doing something major, but don't be afraid!

Thanks for my wait!…But it is difficult to determine. It could also depend on the hammer being slightly detached…but that is only a hypothesis. Generally, on the first copper strings, the copper itself deviates and generates noise…this too is a hypothesis. There is also the possibility, as Andry correctly assumed, that the damper near the string crossing slightly touches the string when it "whips."

Thank you all for the support, unfortunately since this morning even the lower octave's [note] produces a very similar sound. As has already been said, the sound seems like a sort of "whip" because it is heard very intensely as soon as the hammer hits the string, but then it is heard very little. Is there any way to confirm one of the hypotheses without having to call a technician? It would bother me to call a technician after only two weeks...

As we wrote to you, the diagnosis is difficult from afar and the solution, whether you call a technician or try it yourself, is to find the problem! Resonances are a nasty beast; now, assuming that a new piano can, but should not, have these problems, continue with the tests but above all open the piano, open the panels, and isolate the parts that are not making noise. Example: play the entire first section of the keyboard from the bass, as soon as you hear the noise, touch the string(s) of the note played and see if the noise stops. If it doesn't happen, continue by touching the dampers of the offending strings.

In the end, if you don't understand where the noise is coming from or how to make it stop, take a look also at the panel under the keyboard; like the one above, it could have blocks to turn or press left and right, or a lever in the center that must also be turned or pressed upwards. Pedals and levers, if made of metal, can easily generate noise at the joints.

P.S. anyway, if you take some photos of the interior of the piano's action, you could also help us tell you something more. Look inside your piano to discover what is wrong. After all, diagnosing a problem reduces the cost and time of restoration by a technician. As a last thing, people often make the mistake of 'gluing' the piano to the wall—it is also called an upright piano—but let's leave those 2 measly centimeters between the wall and the piano! It will improve the sound and, if there are paintings present, any resonances during very dynamic pieces will also disappear.

I have already tested the strings but the sound remains, although it sounds more muffled and less loud, like the sound of the note, but it does not disappear. As for distance, it is about 3/4 cm from the wall, so I doubt that is the reason. I will take a photo of the interior as soon as I manage to open it. Under the panel, it seems to be fixed only with a screwed-in iron bar; I will try to unscrew it and see if it comes off. Thank you very much for the help in the meantime.

Hello

The string crossing area, especially in upright pianos, is always a critical point.

I should preface that since I haven't heard the piano, I am just trying to give my opinion.

Sometimes in the aforementioned area, certain notes occur that emit compound sounds.

That is, along with consonant harmonics, odd harmonics—meaning dissonant ones—are joined.

This is generally due to an unfortunate striking point of the hammers on the strings.

Remedies?

Try having it voiced by a skilled technician, or place small felt dampers on those strings that emit dissonant harmonics.

If I remember correctly, the felt dampers can be seen in the video "Nomenclatura" by Pianoexpert.

Tuning technician

www.pianoaccordatore.it

Thank you, I will try to call where I bought the piano to ask for clarification and, if necessary, I'll wait a few months and then have it tuned. I also wanted to ask, sometimes when I play a key (the F4) it stays depressed. Checking, I noticed that this happens when, to perform some fairly fast pieces, I have to slide my finger towards me, and by pulling slightly (nothing forceful), the key remains depressed, with the resulting continuous sound reproduction. This is, however, a secondary and much less annoying problem; do you say I should have that checked as well?

I am informing you that I called the shop and they said they will send a technician free of charge as soon as possible, thanks to everyone for the help

Let us know how it ends....

The technician came; the noises have subsided but are still present. His theory is that the chandelier (with some metal parts left loose) might resonate with those notes and cause, precisely, that strange noise. As for the key, it didn't cause any problems for one day, but by the very next day it was dropping occasionally. At this point, I will call him back because this is unacceptable.

And then I wanted to ask, the sound is much better now; it seems much more "warm" to me, whereas before it was much more shrill, and the technician said he had made further improvements. In your opinion, what could he have done for the sound? Pure curiosity

Chandelier -> Very possible! Moving parts that have a dimension comparable to the wavelength of the fundamental or harmonics (provided these are energetic enough) of certain notes can vibrate, producing noise. Solution: stabilize such moving parts or apply felt inserts on their contact points to silence the vibration.

Key -> Mortise gaskets? Mechanical friction?

Warmer sound -> Hammer voicing/intonation.

Hi, I confirm what Simone said.

Regarding the sound, tuning work has been performed.

For keys that do not rise back up or return to rest slowly, the cause is always the same: humidity increasing friction.

Humidity seems strange to me, as the problem has only just been purchased; furthermore, it is the only key that has this problem and the others do not have any kind of problem, but we will see what the technician says.

I would like to know if the technician, when he came, took an accurate measurement of the friction. There is no escaping that!

Unfortunately when he came I was out of the house and there was only my mother, next time I will make sure to check what he does...