Key return regulation

Probably, I say probably, your tuner has removed lead from the front part of the keyboard (I hope they did NOT ADD lead to the back part of the keyboard). This makes the key feel heavier. With a greater downward weight, a greater return weight is obtained.

If they did not remove the action and instead acted on the regulation, they inappropriately reinforced the repetition lever spring, trying to achieve greater action responsiveness.

Neither of these interventions solves the problem!

The friction of the hammer rocker pins, the capstan, and the escapement uprights must be checked, because if these are excessive, as I suspect, it is against common sense to think of overcoming these impediments by weighting down the action and/or increasing the spring tension. One does nothing but achieve poor results.

The smoothness of the entire action must be rechecked in order to obtain a good downward weight and an excellent return weight. Only then, together with precise regulation of the keyboard and the entire action (pre-regulation, hammer height relative to the strings, let-off at 1, 2, 3 mm from the strings, correct drop and correct repetition on the hammer rest as well as CORRECT tension of the repetition springs - the hammer must rise decisively without jumping), will there be ease in repeated notes and... the King will manage to ride to attempt to save his little son, even if, alas, in vain!....

P.S. The action pins must be replaced LARGER. By boring the cashmere-lined holes with strictly straight reamers and checking them with the delicate friction gauge (tasteggiatore). The friction of the hammer rockers must not exceed 4g; that of the capstan rockers can reach 5g; the escapement uprights about 1g.

Happy music

for more clarification, watch my video tutorials

pianoexpert wrote:

23 hours ago, pianoexpert said:

Probably, I say probably, your tuner removed lead from the front part of the keybed (I hope they did NOT ADD lead to the back part of the keybed). Thus, the key feels heavier. With a greater downward weight, a greater return weight is obtained.

If they did not remove the action and instead acted on the regulation, they inappropriately reinforced the repetition lever spring, trying to achieve greater action responsiveness.

Neither of these interventions solves the problem!

One must check the friction of the hammer repetition lever pins, the jack, and the escapement wippen, because if these are excessive, as I suspect, it is against common sense to think of overcoming these impediments by weighting down the action and/or increasing spring tension. One does nothing but achieve poor results.

One must recheck the smoothness of the entire action, so as to obtain a good downward weight and an excellent return weight. Only then, together with precise regulation of the keyboard and the entire action (pre-regulation, hammer height relative to the strings, let-off at 1, 2, 3 mm from the strings, correct drop and correct escapement against the hammer rest as well as CORRECT tension of the repetition springs - the hammer must rise decisively without jumping) will there be ease in repeated notes and ...the King will manage to ride his steed to try to save his little son, even if, alas, in vain!....

P.S. The action pins must be replaced with LARGER ones. Reaming the cashmere-lined holes with strictly straight reamers and checking them with a delicate friction gauge (tester). The friction of the hammer repetition lever pins must not exceed 4g; that of the jack pins can reach 5g; the escapement wippen pins about 1g.

Happy music

First of all, thank you for your reply and compliments on your precious video tutorials, which I have already had the pleasure of watching on YouTube. Regarding the regulation, I do not believe it involved adding or reducing lead. Perhaps the most likely adjustments are those to the repetition lever spring (although in this case I feel the "hardness" more towards the end of the key stroke) or to the damper (to ensure that it rises slightly early). In any case, next time I will ask my tuner for appropriate clarification, perhaps even asking him for a correct adjustment of the action based on these tips.

Even though we all know how the story ends badly for the king, I want to at least give his steed a bit of gas.

In the meantime, I was wondering, could you perhaps recommend a good manual on piano tuning and action regulation? I have seen very little online: one of those that seems most valid to me is "Pianos Inside Out," but it is only in English and costs a lot (about €180 on Amazon); another perhaps more within reach is "Il pianoforte da concerto Steinway & Sons. Manuale di regolazione, accordatura, intonazione e messa a punto" by Giovanni Bettin.

My friend Bettin's is certainly a good book. Reblitz is also a basic book, in English (but easy). Regarding the setup, avoid any lubrication other than micro Teflon powder (no Ballistol, no grease lubricants, and above all NO talcum powder, which is highly hygroscopic). If friction is high, you will notice it because the key depression weight increases and the return weight decreases. The action becomes stiff and the key descent non-uniform (also check if there is stiffness in the damper lift!). The return is slow and lower than the values proportional to the descent. It becomes extremely difficult to perform fast passages and repeated notes. Part of this stiffness is caused by the necessary increase in the tension of the repetition springs, which must overcome the impediments (excessive friction). Naturally, last but not least, you must check the heel felts (that they are not too grooved, with a relative "hole") and the cashmere gaskets of the central and front key slots, which could be dirty and worn, thus blocking the key discontinuously during its descent. You must check and eventually replace the front oval pins and the central ones if oxidized and/or rusted....And then....you will hear what Music!!!!

Let me know

pianoexpert wrote:

On 9/11/2022 at 09:04, pianoexpert said:

My friend Bettin's one is certainly a good book. Reblitz is also a basic book, in English (but easy). Regarding the regulation, avoid any lubrication other than micro-teflon powder (no Ballistol, no grease lubricants, and above all NO talcum powder, which is highly hygroscopic). If friction is high, you will notice it because the key depression weight increases and the return weight decreases. The action feels hard and the key descent is non-uniform (also check if there is stiffness in the damper let-off!). The return is slow and lower than the values proportional to the descent. It becomes extremely difficult to perform fast passages and repeated notes. Part of this hardness is caused by the necessary increase in the tension of the repetition springs, which must overcome the impediments (excessive friction). Naturally, last but not least, you must check the heel felts (to ensure they are not too grooved, with a relative "hole") and the cashmere bushings of the central and front key slots, which could be dirty and worn, thus blocking the key discontinuously during its descent. You must check and potentially replace the front oval pins and the central ones if oxidized and/or rusted....And then....you will hear what Music!!!!

Let me know

I will let him know, without a doubt; I will treasure his important suggestions.

Thank you very much, truly kind.

Good morning, after a couple of months I called my tuner back for clarifications and a proper piano adjustment. I had made quite a mistake: the problem was not the spring at all, but both the escapement button and the screw that regulates the drop on the repetition lever were poorly adjusted; this made not only repetition difficult but also caused a very hard click to be felt under the finger when pressing the key. In addition to this, the hammer-string distance was incorrectly adjusted, which caused the escapement mechanism to engage too early. The dampers were also revised. The tuner told me that the previous adjustment was intended for practicing during study. Honestly, I find this somewhat nonsensical, also because piano study is seen as gymnastics for the fingers and it precludes many nuances in touch and sound control, which are fundamental in actual practice.

Anyway, the regulation now meets my needs, with a drop of about one millimeter and a few millimeters more of hammer-string distance: the Erlkönig (but not only) plays wonderfully.

ok