Silent Kit

Sorry for reopening a discussion that has been dormant for several years, but a client asked me to install a silent system on a grand piano and, since I have never done it before, I declined.

But curiosity got the better of me; being an electronic engineer, unfortunately, I wanted to understand how it works, and I looked into the various systems and patents available out there.

I conclude that all the systems I have seen not only fail to meet the needs of a pianist or student who wants to practice without disturbing others, but in my opinion, they can also "train negatively" those who are preparing a piece on their piano using the silent system.

The thing that truly disconcerted me is that the most modern systems (e.g., PianoDisc) operate by inserting a block of felt and foam that intercepts the hammer's trajectory, preventing it from striking the string.

I would call that quite a mess, given that touch sensitivity is expressed precisely in the last 3-4 millimeters before hitting the string; one only needs to watch Piano Expert videos or try to listen for when the escapement engages to understand that by blocking the hammer shank prematurely, the escapement lever will not slide under the roller, and therefore fast repetition will not be possible as it is under normal conditions.

Furthermore, these systems, including factory-installed Yamaha and Kawai ones and especially those installed later, insert a series of sensors under the keyboard to detect which key is pressed and measure the speed or pressure, and with what intensity.

I would say that even if one could find a proportionality, or rather a transfer function that "replicates" the behavior of a struck-string system, we are very far from it.

In effect, they midify a piano and turn it into a digital piano; therefore, rather than a silent system, you might as well buy a weighted keyboard, which also has the advantage that you can take it on vacation, and if you have to prepare a concert with an orchestra, you can have a friend play the second piano and practice comfortably at your home.

Finally, thinking now as a pianist, I believe these systems can also create some imbalance; that is, preparing a piece by switching from normal to silent multiple times does not allow for the definitive refinement of certain interpretive solutions, thereby prejudicing the final result.

What do you think?

Bye

Andrea

I cannot go into technical specifics because I have the limitations of a purely classical background....but I wanted to contribute to this discussion by describing my experience with the silent mode!

I was always forced to use it for most of my practice time...for years. In fact, during certain periods, I didn't even have the possibility to recalibrate my performances on the acoustic piano.

And I can state with some certainty that not only is it disappointing and exhausting to practice on it, but it can also be counterproductive.

There is a lack of precision in the synchrony between sound and mechanics. In dynamic responses, it is very limited...the keyboard becomes very noisy. Playing becomes more of a sort of finger gymnastics....pure bodybuilding without the possibility of studying all the nuances necessary for a certain musicality. You end up "pounding"...

This is my experience....I came to detest it and I don't even know how I managed to play on it for so much time...

I sincerely believe that the problem is all the greater the more experience the pianist in question has. Unfortunately, many have the problem of neighbors or the constraint of evening/night hours as their only possibility for study; for this reason, many skilled pianists resort to, or feel the need to resort to, silent practice. However, it seems to me that the system was invented, especially for beginners, for their first years—those during which the use of the sustain pedal is not yet known, when one is learning to read the score, to join the hands, and to differentiate voices; well, in these years, exercises and scales are almost 80% of the student's work. Up close, probably even I, an amateur pianist, would reluctantly endure hours and hours of these exercises. In any case, I believe that the digital market has now evolved so much that there will no longer be a need to discuss so much whether it is silent practice or not.

I completely agree with you! Except for one thing: even if it is true that in the beginning it might be less "dangerous" to study it despite the timbral and sonic poverty that characterizes it, it wouldn't make the student fall in love with the sound....after all, what allows one to spend a long time on two notes or small basic exercises is precisely the beauty of listening to the first sounds one manages to produce...with their vibrations and their timbre!

In any case, I also think it is a system that will not have any future over time. And until a few days ago, I would never have said so, even though I detest it.

@principale8 you have done a perfect analysis of the facts. Kudos to you!

Hello everyone. I am joining this discussion because for some time I have been trying to have a fortepiano from 1800 restored, which our family has owned for a long time: Unfortunately, the soundboard is damaged and it would need to be replaced, and the soundboard itself also needs repair. Several technicians have assessed that the cost exceeds the value of the instrument, so it is not worth it. Therefore, a restorer has proposed to me, in addition to fixing the "furniture", to have a silent kit or something similar installed so that we can still use it. Just so as not to have only a bulky piece of "furniture" in the house. I would really like this, but apparently two systems evaluated require at least 125cm of width, while the fortepiano keyboard is about 117 cm wide. In practice, either side notches are made in the structure (and weakening it would be a major problem) or nothing. What systems can be found on the market? So that I can contact a few people and evaluate if there is some kind of adaptable kit?

It is a family heirloom, and I would like it to be usable in some way somehow.

Dear Paolo,

I don't think it is possible to install a silent system on an antique piano, and in any case, the labor + materials would exceed the value of a digital piano, which would be excellent for studying. Furthermore, the measurements and designs, should they even be found, are designed for modern pianos (88 notes, etc.). Moreover, all this would be to exploit a keyboard that perhaps has reason to function in relation to the fortepiano exactly "as it should be." Instead, you must evaluate whether the restoration can restore historical and sentimental value to the piano. That is, "saving" a historical instrument. When these works are done, a document with photos and a report is attached because it accompanies the life of the instrument over time. It needs to be seen if the soundboard ribbing (somiere) truly needs to be replaced. The soundboard can certainly be repaired. Of course, one must settle for an antique sound, because one must measure the sinking of the bridges and the relative charge of the soundboard (the soundboard has a "crown" that lowers over time. Consequently, the angle of pressure of the strings on the bridges approaches zero and the transmission of sound to the soundboard decreases. The soundboard itself stiffens over time. In short, everything must be seen and evaluated. Aside from this solution, I see no possibility of adapting systems that would not, moreover, be compatible. All this said "in plain terms." It would be necessary to examine it and go into strictly technical details.

Pianoexpert, regarding our friend's piano.

The Yamaha C3 silent features a well-made type of silent mechanism, which allows for adjusting the action without compromises.

BUT, some compromises do exist and nobody talks about them:

● first of all, the sensation returned with the silent engaged remains fake

● the escapement lever leads to a double notch, specifically to allow for perfect escapement regulation. And then the reinforcements on the wippens. In short, small added masses + the additional mass of the weights to counterbalance the keyboard = a keyboard with more inertia compared to that of the same model without Silent.