What is regulation?
Maybe a better question is, “why does regulation matter?” We’ll get to that, but first, what is it? Regulation is controlling the timing and alignment of the parts of a mechanism … any mechanism. Mechanical clocks are regulated for properly timed motion. Pianos, with their hundreds of levers, springs, screws, etc. are regulated as well.
Here are side views of the mechanism of a single piano note for both grand and upright pianos. This is replicated 88 times within your piano!
Grand Piano Action Model
Upright Piano Action Model
Each note has well over twenty places where a piano technician can control the friction, alignment, spacing and spring tension. This is done initially in the factory. In the case of very fine pianos, it is repeated many times for increasing levels of refinement and again at the dealer after shipping from the factory. For your home piano, which may have been in your family for generations; over time, spring wire becomes more brittle weakening the springs; wood expands and contracts from changes in humidity; felt and leather compress and wear as the piano is played. The piano’s mechanism goes out of regulation.
When a note is extremely out of regulation, it doesn’t work properly. Maybe the hammer hits the string and doesn’t bounce back. Maybe the hammer double-strikes or “bobbles”. Maybe sometimes the note doesn’t sound at all when the key is pressed. That is a basic reason regulation matters. But, actually, the piano mechanism is quite robust and it will function in many states of sub-optimal regulation. It takes a long time, and a lot of little movements in the mechanism before it gets to the point of not working. Usually, long before a note stops working altogether, the whole piano has become uneven. When notes play unevenly, pianists need to adjust their touch depending on which notes they’re playing. Music making becomes more difficult, perhaps even laborious!
A finely regulated piano is simply easier and more fun to play. It is capable of the quietest pianissimo, it responds faster, and each note responds just like its neighbors.
As a part of your routine tuning service, I assess your piano’s state of regulation, discuss it with you, and make small adjustments to keep it functioning at its best. After a number of years, (maybe ten, but it varies), it may be appropriate to have a full reconditioning and regulation performed. Sometimes this is best done by taking your piano’s action to the technician’s workshop followed by refinement in your piano. In other circumstances, a complete regulation can be done in the piano taking only a few hours and resulting in dramatic improvement in the touch of your piano.
Everyone, at every level, plays better on a well-regulated piano!
Amy Zilk, RPT
