Piano Guidance
Piano Guidance
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However, if you're calling the tech out especially to fix a stuck key, I'd expect you to pay around $50 - $100 for them to fix the key. They'll be able to tell you how it got stuck, why it got stuck and how to make sure it doesn't get stuck in future.
Age/Condition: Many piano owners mistakenly believe that pianos made over 100 years ago are valued as “antiques.” As a rule: "They aren't," with...
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Pianos can be placed near outside walls as long as it is away from open windows and doorways. A piano should not be near air vents, fireplaces,...
Read More »If you’ve got an acoustic piano, you will definitely have been there. One of your keys starts to stick. It’s one of the most frustrating things about owning a piano, and while it doesn’t generally happen too often, you may find yourself troubled by it if you live in a warm or humid climate. In this article, we’ll find out why piano keys stick, how much it costs to fix it, and how to fix stuck piano keys yourself. Primarily, piano keys will stick as a result of an increase in humidity. A piano is a complex piece of machinery, and is made up of thousands and thousands of moving parts, made mostly of wood. With humidity changes, wood expands and contracts and this can cause keys to stick or become sluggish. However, there are lots of other reasons why piano keys may stick. Fix 1: Swollen keys because of humidity The simple answer here is to wait until your area is less humid. This will cause the wood to contract, and as a result the key should not stick. However, I recognise that if you live in a place that’s humid year-round, this is not exactly a practical solution. The best way to fix this is to identify your offending key. Press it down, along with the key next to it. Use a small, thin-tipped screwdriver to separate the key. This should provide enough space between the keys and prevent it sticking. You might have to do this every so often if you live in a humid area, as unfortunately there’s no stopping the keys expanding by themselves. You must be GENTLE when you do this; if you are careless you risk damaging the keys. If this becomes a major problem for you, you may consider investing in a system designed to regulate your piano’s humidity, such as the Piano Life Saver system by a company called Dampp-Chaser. Just a caveat; I’ve never used this and I don’t know how effective it is, but if you have persistent issues with humidity it may be worth looking into. Fix 2: Items stuck below the keys This is the easiest fix here. However, it requires a bit of bravery as it involves removing the keys from the piano to get underneath them. If you’re not comfortable doing this (which I fully understand) then you need to call your technician. Upright pianos generally come apart quite easily; there is the large rectangular section of wood behind the music desk, and the fallboard which covers the keys. Generally the large rectangular section is held in by catches on either side, and is easily removed. The fallboard should just lift out as the large rectangular section usually holds this in place. All you need to do now is gently pivot the key and ease it up out of place. You’ll want to remove a few keys to see what’s underneath. Grab a vacuum cleaner or use your hands to remove whatever was placed there. When you’re done, simply reassemble. The keys will usually have numbers on them to tell you where to put them. If these fixes don’t work, you will need to call a technician, lest you risk damaging your instrument. How Much Does It Cost to Fix a Piano Key? If you’ve come this far, you will have tried the previous fixes and unfortunately you still have a stuck key. Now, even though you require a tech, this is still a fairly easy fix for them and they shouldn’t charge you too much to look at it. I’d recommend waiting for your next tuning, if you can tolerate the stuck key for a short while, because I know my technician wouldn’t even charge to fix this if he was already at my house. However, if you’re calling the tech out especially to fix a stuck key, I’d expect you to pay around $50 - $100 for them to fix the key. They’ll be able to tell you how it got stuck, why it got stuck and how to make sure it doesn’t get stuck in future. When your technician is at your home, it’s worth just asking them to have a look at any other issues with the piano; ask them if the action needs regulating, whether there are any other issues that might exacerbate key-sticking in the future. That way you can avoid these problems.
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