Breaking down piano regulation: Part 1 - “Pre-regulation”
If your piano isn’t playing or sounding like it used to, your technician might recommend a regulation—but many pianists aren’t quite sure what that means. This article introduces the concept of regulation and describes some of the steps involved in pre-regulation.
What is regulation? One mentor once described it to me as bringing a piano back to factory specifications. That’s a great starting point, because regulation generally restores the action so it operates as it was designed to, within the parameters it was intended to function.
To that description, I would add that a piano also requires the additional touch of the technician to accommodate the uniqueness of each instrument. Many piano action parts are made of wood, leather, felt, and cloth — materials that naturally wear, compress, shrink, and warp over time. Regulation involves aligning, bolstering, and sometimes replacing these parts to optimize performance and tone. Since some components will have changed shape ever so slightly, factory specifications often need to be bent to the will of the piano. A half-millimeter change to most specifications can result in a significant difference in how the piano feels or sounds.
And to be clear: a piano that is not well-regulated will not perform at its full potential. You might as well have purchased a cheaper piano — because that’s how it plays.
Before the detailed and labor-intensive work of regulating all the parts and components components can even begin, the action must be cleaned, polished, revived, and, in some cases, have parts replaced. We call these initial tasks “pre-regulation”. Pre-regulation prepares the action for the fine craft of piano regulation by removing friction, debris, and other contaminants.
The video above was filmed during pre-regulation (and some voicing) on a couple’s piano in Mount Vernon, VA. Their piano was very difficult to play, with very stiff keys caused largely by excess friction at the connection points to the keys. But after polishing, cleaning, and other adjustments, the keys played more smoothly and with far greater control.
If your piano doesn’t seem to play as well as it once did — or if it hasn’t had significant work done in a decade or so — it may be due for regulation. A well-regulated piano makes it possible for you to play at your best. Reach out to us, and let’s chat about what your piano needs!