Regulation Details

 Piano regulation is a separate service from piano tuning.

I like to compare maintaining a piano to maintaining a car. Tuning is a little like putting gas in the car—it keeps you going. But eventually a car also needs its oil changed, tires maintained, and mechanical parts checked and adjusted. A piano is much the same way.

Tuning primarily addresses pitch. Regulation addresses how the piano mechanically functions, responds, and feels when you play it.

Over time, the many moving parts in a piano action wear, settle, compress, and move out of adjustment. Even a piano that is rarely played can develop mechanical issues simply from age and changes in its environment.

Depending on the piano, regulation may include adjustments such as:

• Hammer line and hammer spacing
• Hammer distance
• Let-off
• Drop
• Key dip
• Lost motion on upright pianos
• Spring tension and other action adjustments
• Alignment and adjustment of action components

I also evaluate the condition of the hammers. Years of striking the strings can leave deep grooves in the hammer felt. When appropriate, careful hammer reshaping can restore a better striking surface and can be combined with voicing work to improve the quality and consistency of the piano's tone.

Mechanical Problems & Unwanted Noises

If something feels uneven or sounds mechanically noisy, I can also investigate the mechanical side of the piano rather than assuming the problem is tuning.

Buzzes, rattles, thuds, clicks, notes that don't ring properly, sluggish or sticking keys, uneven touch, or other unusual sounds can have many different causes. Something may be loose, misaligned, improperly adjusted, or even lodged inside the action or piano.

Some problems may involve the strings or other parts of the instrument rather than the action itself. The important thing is to diagnose the actual source before deciding what work is needed.

Other repair work, such as damaged or missing keytops, can also be evaluated separately.

Why Regulation Matters

Regulation is much more involved than a standard tuning and requires considerably more time, so it is scheduled as a separate service.

Once a piano has been properly regulated, however, that same level of work generally isn't needed again for quite some time. How long depends on the instrument, how heavily it is played, its age and condition, and its environment.

The goal is to bring the action toward proper operating specifications so the pianist has better control, consistency, repetition, and response across the keyboard.

If something feels uneven or noisy, regulation and mechanical service address the mechanical side of the piano—not simply the tuning.

A piano shouldn't just sound good. It should feel good to play.

— Kai