Removing A Grand Piano Action - Piano Tuning & Repair I HOWARD PIANO INDUSTRIES

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Removing A Grand Piano Action - Piano Tuning & Repair I HOWARD PIANO INDUSTRIES
When doing any kind of work on a grand piano action the keys and action usually need to be removed. This video shows how to remove the keys and the action from a grand piano for servicing.
We also have a video on how to remove an upright piano action: www.howardpianoindustries.com...
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🎥 Video Chapters
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00:00 - Intro
00:34 - Removing The Key Slip
03:31 - Removing The Cheek Block and Fall Board
05:09 - Removing The Grand Piano Action
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Пікірлер: 109

@Bnardmusicfreelivemusic 3 жыл бұрын

I have a concert to give in one day. Somebody moved the grand piano on stage and now the notes were just ringing. I figured out, by looking from the top what needed to be screwed in. Your video showed me how to open up the piano. And I was able to tighten the screws and all is going to be well for my concert. Thank you thank you thank you. God bless you man!

@debm535 Жыл бұрын

My daughter dropped her phone behind the fallboard of our Steinway baby grand and we didn't have the foggiest idea how to get it back out. We watched your video and retrieved it in 3 minutes. Thank you so much!! You are a life saver!!

@howardpianoind Жыл бұрын

Glad it helped.

@haroldsdodge 9 жыл бұрын

This is a truly great video. It demonstrates the best of KZfaq: experts sharing their knowledge - for free - and helping people who otherwise would have to spend a small fortune (and probably wait days if not weeks for their problem to be solved). I learnt a huge amount about pianos through watching this and following the steps. And I was able to resolve my issue (a loose fitting that was rattling annoyingly and ruining the piano's sound, but that I wasn't able to reach until I removed the action). It was also very helpful that you included information about Asian pianos, as without it I might not have been able to perform the task (my issue was with a Kawai). In short, you've done a great public service! Many thanks. PS Is that a Canadian accent?

@CEOofWasrael 26 күн бұрын

Just moved into a house & the guy left a grand piano. This is the only video I could find on how to take it apart to fix things, thank you!

@howardpianoind 26 күн бұрын

Glad it could help! Thanks for watching!

@paulhalvorson4950 Жыл бұрын

You saved my butt within 30 seconds! The key slip was easy to take off and I could retrieve a piano key top that slipped in between two keys. Thanks!

@stuarticusrobinson9319 2 жыл бұрын

What a great video! Thanks. "Don't ask me how i know"

@Forwardoperationbase 3 жыл бұрын

2021 March 7th. Still watching in the Washington Mountains in my cabin with my Kawai Piano. Thank you!!!

@jordan00722 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved the day. I dropped a sheet of paper behind the fall board and had no idea of how to remove it. My problem was solved in 2 minutes. :)

@howardpianoind 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. I'm glad the video was helpful to you.

@skywatcher6324 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot o had to fix 6 keys on my piano and clear all the shot that sat for 69 years

@michellegoad1052 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! My CT FELL INSIDE! I’m practicing tuning thirds and I just had to get it out! I have a Boston Grand and I lifted the fall board and retrieved my CT!

@howardpianoind Жыл бұрын

Glad you found our videos useful!

@jimwynne8644 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks again for your continued help with understanding piano tuning and mechanics!

@ThomasFMPayne 9 жыл бұрын

Perfect! I just bought this same piano. An old one, and this is just what I need to know.

@eddielozada3694 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this great instructional video!!!

@neillyons8680 9 жыл бұрын

thanks man this is exactly what i needed. had a broken key that was just killing me but i couldn't figure out how to open up my baby grand. your video walked me right through it. thanks again!

@howardpianoind 9 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Neil. Yes, it's not too difficult to do once you find out how to take things apart. I'm glad to hear that this was helpful for you.

@josephwu523 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Hugely helpful for knowing how to remove a Kawai fallboard when my cell phone slipped through the fallboard into the piano.

@acadaslifestyle5969 4 жыл бұрын

thank you for this video, it helped us get a phone out from inside the piano 😊

@jameslabs1 2 жыл бұрын

Simplicity, complexity and beauty. Thanks

@PhillipHammond 3 жыл бұрын

Was hoping to clean the keys of our recently purchased baby grand (It used to be in a restaurant/bar). This gave me the info on how to do it. Thanks for giving alternate directions for a Young Chang.

@Joedoriamusic 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, thank you!

@latigojusticiero615 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for the video

@cindyjin4644 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks really helped

@lewisticknor 8 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir

@Verity_Seeker 3 жыл бұрын

Thank You

@EmersonGale 5 ай бұрын

Thank you!!

@howardpianoind 5 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@ibsoarin 7 жыл бұрын

Steve, A friend just acquired a 1905 Mason & Hamlin AA (6' 2") grand piano. It was reconditioned 30 years ago. Although the piano has been in a good environment, it is very dusty and needs a thorough cleaning. The action's touch and tone are outstanding. How can a Mason & Hamlin grand piano be that exceptional after all these years? Thank you for your videos. I cannot believe that your example is a Mason & Hamlin grand piano.

@howardpianoind 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yes, this is also a AA. It is from 1915. If a piano is kept in a good environment and isn't abused, it can stay in good condition over the years. In most cases it is the climate and humidity changes over the years that deteriorate the condition of an action.

@brnmcc01 10 жыл бұрын

Nice piano, Mason & Hamlin is one of the best.

@4AMART 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this very informative video! My issue is that the left soft pedal doesn’t work, and after looking inside while hitting the keys, I saw that the hammers are too far to the left of each 3string set so the soft pedal can’t move the hammers to the right enough to just hit the right two strings. Could it be that the keybed wasn’t put in correctly and too far leftward? Is this something I can adjust? Thanks!

@chogokin666 9 жыл бұрын

I wonder if Sohmer and Sons used this configuration. I will attempt to clean a beautiful old Baby Grand using your tips. I cant tell you how helpful and concise your tutorials are. Thank you!!

@howardpianoind 9 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! I can't recall ever taking the action out of a Sohmer and Sons Grand piano, but it should be similar to one of the standard configurations.

@redbrick9634 3 жыл бұрын

Lucky that my piano is the same as yours and I was able to pull the keyboard out and fix a key that was jamming up. I guess you saved me $100 at least.

@wkadar 3 жыл бұрын

thank you for your great videos, i'm afraid to remove the key slip. i have a 1904 baldwin concert grand that needs a lot of work now, but even though i am disabled i feel that i can still do it.i did when i was young.

@howardpianoind 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Wendy, Removing the key slip is the easiest part of this process. When taking the action out the biggest thing you want to be aware of is to make sure you’re not pushing down on any of the keys as you slide the action out or that any of the hammers are sticking up at all as this will result in hammers breaking off.

@wkadar 3 жыл бұрын

@@howardpianoind thank you so much. i used to know how to do it! but it has been years and i want to start to tune my piano again myself with this covid stuff.

@mikebamber8150 6 жыл бұрын

A very lucid and comprehensive tutorial. Thank you . 5. Stars!

@melindacrews3660 8 жыл бұрын

My husband and I used the video showing how to remove a grand piano action to fix a clicking key at 10:30 on a Wednesday night. It was clear, easy to follow, and we had no problems. It saved us a service call and a lot of irritation in the meantime. Thank you so much! Great video!

@howardpianoind 8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Melinda! That's what we intend for our videos to help with.

@saveriosalerno9232 10 жыл бұрын

Beautiful video tutorial explaining compliments very well finally a good piano technician who reveals all the secrets of the piano and for that I thank you very much and I always hope that does not abandon us! since you've also worked in ferragosto..ti wondering if this piano Mason & Hamiln is mounted stao action with conponenti type WNG composite components? THANKS greetings from your student surfer from Italy Saverio

@howardpianoind 10 жыл бұрын

Hi Saverio. It's always good to hear from you! Yes, the Mason & Hamlin in this video has new WNG composite shanks and flanges and also whippens. It also has the WNG capstans and backchecks. I rebuilt this piano recently for myself to have and I'm very happy with it.

@tropicalecologist 9 жыл бұрын

Very informative video channel, I nearly watched all of them during the last week. Thanks. Can you post a video of how Sostenuto and Soft pedals function in a grand piano ? especially the mechanisms of these 2 pedals and how to repair them if they are not working properly....

@howardpianoind 9 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Kalpa, That's quite an achievement to say you've watched most of our videos as there are a lot of them. Thanks for the suggestion on videos on the pedal functions on a grand piano. I'll add this to my list of future videos.

@kwixotic Жыл бұрын

What if you can't remove the keyslip? This just happened with me yesterday with a Yamaha C3 that's about 25 years old. The problem might be caused by the keyslip pegs having become too embedded in the front of the keybed. Any suggestions?

@jco5971 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you'll monetize your KZfaq videos! You'll make some great money off the KZfaq adds. Your videos are fantastic and so helpful! Thank you for this!! A nice reward for all your time recording would be to utilize the adds here. Your views and subscriber count would bring in hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars for you per month easily! And it doesn't bother viewers cause they're so short.

@danmartinez6751 9 жыл бұрын

Hello Steve, thank you so much for all these videos. I have a question. I was trying to remove the action in a Baldwin grand from 1920 and I noticed that the hammers do not pass through below the pin lock. It seems like the pin block is set lower than the average piano and the bass hammers seem to hit onto the pin block. I did not press any key while I was taking it off. Any advice on this?

@howardpianoind 9 жыл бұрын

The only thing I can think of is that the hammer blow distance is set too high. You will probably need to lower the level of the hammers in order to get the action out of the piano. This is done by turning the capstans to the left which will lower the height of the hammers. It could be that someone raised the hammer height after the action was put into the piano. Please let me know if you have other questions.

@toxicangl 2 жыл бұрын

How can i find the last service year on a C.Bechstein Grand piano?

@ez5328 Жыл бұрын

Hi howard, hope you're doing well. I wanted to ask if you got the piano with that action mechanism or did you substitute components with new carbon fiber parts such as Wessell, Nickel & Gross? I ask because I have a late 1800s Chickering and sons with an old action that Im thinking of substituting with something modern... but cant find anyone online that has bought parts from them, only their full action. Thanks a lot, and great videos.

@howardpianoind Жыл бұрын

Hello, I am answering questions for Steve so I don't know for sure if this piano came with these parts but my guess is that they did because the company that makes Mason and Hamlin pianos is the same company that makes Wessell, Nickel & Gross parts. I have seen these parts used widely throughout the industry. - Russell Schmidt, Piano Technician with Howard Piano Industries

@santiago.belgrano 6 жыл бұрын

Hi, thanks a lot for your videos! My keyboard, or some keys, are turning yellow / brownish. A piano tuner told me that if I put the keyboard under the sun for a while it'll be white again. It's that true? Any recommendations? It's ivory. Thanks!

@howardpianoind 6 жыл бұрын

Yes, I have also heard that putting the yellowed ivories in direct sunlight can help whiten them.

@culuscha934 14 күн бұрын

This video saved me years ago. Have you any advice on una chorda adustment, stop screw, rod adjustment ? The hammers seem to be in alignment. 1925 Knabe 5'8". it was just delivered.

@howardpianoind 5 күн бұрын

I will put this on the idea board for a new video, thanks for watching!

@WazzuCougrrs 6 жыл бұрын

Noticed the new WN&G shanks on that action. How is it holding up, and do you like it? I decided on a conventional Renner action for my 1914 Model A. Let other customers be the guinea pigs. But it (the WN&G) sure looks like it’s going to be a great action. Sometimes I wish I’d gone with composite.

@howardpianoind 6 жыл бұрын

Yes, the WN&G composite parts are working out well. This actually is my own personal piano.

@newyorkfilharmonik110 Жыл бұрын

LOL "Don't ask me how I know that. Most people learn from hard experieince."

@howardpianoind Жыл бұрын

If someone can learn from my mistakes, the were more worth it. :)

@OlafsonBrosSimmental 5 жыл бұрын

I have a 1920's vintage Kurtzmann grand 68" long that I need to move 4 hours away. Before it is tipped on its side onto a dolly, I assume that it would be a wise idea to remove the entire action as you have detailed in this excellent video and pack and transport it very carefully in a horizontal position (as it sits in the piano). Would you concur? Anything else I need to know about that particular piano in order to remove the action? I saw a reference somewhere to "locking the soundboard" when moving a grand piano. Do you have any information or recommendations on that? I will be making the move with a hi roof cargo van that is open from the passenger compartment into the cargo compartment, so some heat will be moving into that area. This move might happen in cold temperatures here in ND. I assume I will be fine if the cargo compartment stays above 45F or so? Anything else? Thank you sir!

@howardpianoind 5 жыл бұрын

Typically grand pianos are moved with the action left in the piano. There is probably less risk of something getting damaged with the action in the piano than trying to move it safely outside of the piano. I haven't ever heard of locking the soundboard. I can't imagine what this would be referring to. You do need to strap the piano down well to the skidboard to prevent it from slipping. Yes, if the piano stays in a 45 degree temperature this should be sufficient.

@rafaelbocsa781 5 жыл бұрын

Can someone help me, I have a Rudolf Stelzhammer grand piano and the action won’t come out. This piano doesn’t have end blocks their just one big piece and it’s supposed to just slide out. It seems that somewhere on the left side, something is keeping it from coming out like a screw. I can’t find any way to take the action out!

@xueliansuelian 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for the video! Can I please know why the sounds become dull after putting back to the action back? I took out the action and cleaned them. I hope to hear from you. 🙏

@howardpianoind 6 ай бұрын

I'm not sure, but it could be that the action is in a slightly different position, which would cause a different part of the hammer to strike the string.

@peterfernandez5140 9 жыл бұрын

I was wondering if you could help. I was given a beautiful Kawaii 600 Grand from the 60's by a neighbor. I was playing beautifully and in great condition. When I got it to my apt. after a few weeks a couple of keys are sticking that werent sticking before. Im thinking it might be the heat & Miami humidity in this new place Im living? I use the AC but dont keep the temp very cold. I saw a video here explaining how to iron the felt that has swollen on a sticking key due to changes in weather etc. I would like to try that. Your video is very helpful teaching me how to remove the action so I can get to the sticking keys. Once Ive removed the action do the keys just slip right out of their place? Guess you can see I dont know much about pianos but I had to bring this one home since it as a gift. Thank you in advance for your help.

@howardpianoind 9 жыл бұрын

Once you have the action out you'll need to remove the action stack from the key frame. There are usually 8 screws holding the action brackets to the key frame. Once you have removed the upper action from the key frame, then the keys can be removed.

@lacottle 6 жыл бұрын

Please help? I have a Hazelton Bros. baby grand, and had a tuner out for my piano- bought used, but he didn't know how to get the action out. In addition to another tuning, we have some repairs that need to be done.

@howardpianoind 6 жыл бұрын

It could be that it is the style that have brackets on the end of the fallboard that need to be unscrewed in order to get the fallbaord out first.

@colinmurphy2214 6 жыл бұрын

SOS! I removed my action and then removed the stack to change the key bushings and after I put the stack back on and put the action back in, the middle range of the piano sounds muffled and the hammer let off is wrong on some notes! Any advice Please!

@altodomino2721 6 жыл бұрын

M's Compositions make sure you have the action pushed all the way in. A fraction of an inch can make a difference. Usually, the keyframe pins will not allow the cheekblocks to fit back in properly if the action isn't placed back right. Reinsert the action just like the vid says, by inserting the right side first to overcome the force of the return spring. There are locators on the sides of the cheekblocks where the keyframe pins fit into. These serve as guides as to where the correct final pisition of the keyframe should be. The cheekblocks won't seat down ALL the way unless the keyframe us positioned correctly. Sorry, this is quite hard to explain, but I noticed (to my extreme regret) that Howardpianos hasn't been posting.

@taiteyard3567 Жыл бұрын

Have you ever put the action back in and certain strings will begin to lightly sustain after playing? This happened when I put the action back into a Steinway. The 6 or so lowest bass notes would sustain in a bell-like fashion.

@howardpianoind Жыл бұрын

I would guess you have pushed the action too fall back into the action cavity. It may need to be pulled slightly out towards the player. It may be that plate in the key block that holds the action frame pin will need to be adjusted.

@colinmurphy2214 6 жыл бұрын

Is that a carbon fiber action?

@alexwu358 4 жыл бұрын

Every american teen dreams to break a piano.

@davidalston2334 Жыл бұрын

Action cradles are made for vertical pianos. Where do you place the action of a grand piano after it has been removed for repair? Do you just rest it flat on table?

@howardpianoind Жыл бұрын

Yes, I flat surface will work for repairs. For fine regulation it is necessary that the action sits on a surface that is the same as the surface of the keybed it sits on in the piano. This may not always be perfectly level so the action may need to be shimmed up at places.

@FeonaLeeJones 3 жыл бұрын

I have a Chickering concert grand that has some stuck keys and I noticed on the action some of the key hinges are sticking out.

@howardpianoind 3 жыл бұрын

This may be causing the problem, but I’m not quite sure what you mean by key hinges.

@FeonaLeeJones 3 жыл бұрын

howardpianoind I fixed it! It was the key slip being too tight. Thank you so much for your videos!

@gillmahoney4742 6 жыл бұрын

I am in such a bother, I have an 1834 Collard and Collard externally damaged by damp( veneer and scrolling) i mean. Inside pegs rusty have cleaned them, removed all the ivories which were loose and some of the ebonies, about 30% of the felts were loose so I manage to pull them out between the strings. Now I have to take the entire action out to re-felt and sort out the odd sticking key, because its so old and a wooden frame its hard to find any info on how to do it.

@howardpianoind 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Gill, We have quite a few videos on our KZfaq channel that you may find to be helpful. We show how to refelt the keyboard as well as diagnose and fix sticking keys.

@raffbot 6 жыл бұрын

Allow plenty of time for your project. For an inexperienced enthusiast an action rebuild is about 300 hours of work! Enjoy the process, and I hope you end up with a wonderful instrument. A word of advice, before you get in too deep, have a good think about whether it needs restringing, cabinet repairs, bridge repairs, state of the soundboard. In other words, after you've put your heart and soul into the action, where do you end up? All the best!

@Melodia1116 4 жыл бұрын

Question. Can I permanently remove the 2 front legs of my piano ? Not a baby grand just a regular piano

@howardpianoind 4 жыл бұрын

Most likely not. For most upright pianos, the front legs are needed for stability. I think there would be a risk that the piano would have the risk of tipping forward without the front legs.

@hapcryingtree-pz1zs 3 жыл бұрын

i dont know which screw is the correct screw for the cheek block! there are two screws dowon there one closer to the player and one further. I dont know which to unscrew!

@howardpianoind 3 жыл бұрын

Most likely it is the closer one.

@kelvinrojas5547 8 жыл бұрын

I have a question on how to replace broken off dampers on a grand

@howardpianoind 8 жыл бұрын

Hi Kelvin, Have the damper heads come off of their rods? Or are the rods broken somehow?

@patrickytting 3 жыл бұрын

Should you press the sustain pedal down when putting the action back in?

@howardpianoind 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, it is important to depress the sustain pedal when removing or putting the action in.

@patrickytting 3 жыл бұрын

@@howardpianoind Ah ok, I wasn't as sure if it was as important when removing but would do it anyway to be safe. Thanks for the great content you share.

@musiclover3470 5 жыл бұрын

I tried to remove the first piece as shown in the video on my YAMAHA C2 grand piano but it does not work.

@howardpianoind 5 жыл бұрын

On a Yamaha grand you have to remove the blocks on the ends of the keys before the keyslip will come off. The fallboard will come off separately from the key blocks.

@musiclover3470 5 жыл бұрын

@@howardpianoind Thank you very much sir! I successfully removed the action and put all parts back. I was surprised that you still look after your video after 4 years.

@jordidewaard2937 6 жыл бұрын

Can low humidity make keys slow/stick?

@howardpianoind 6 жыл бұрын

Low or high humidity can affect the keys or the action. The first thing would be to determine what is sluggish. It may be the keys, or it may be something in the action.

@jordidewaard2937 6 жыл бұрын

Pretty sure it's the key because it's just slow at coming back up. It's not really stuck, but it (I think, not 100% sure) is a bit too close to the frame in front of it (the thing you removed at 1:12). No way in hell am I removing that thing myself though as I've only had my grand for about a week. Best bet is contacting the dealer again I guess (since I haven't met a tuner yet)

@mpcontreras01 8 жыл бұрын

I do not know the part that its called but I was pulling as I thought was the "lid" key cover and it wasn't.. and I pulled the "backing"?!? off and cannot figure out how to put it back on.. perhaps you know? I can send a pic if helps.. help! lol

@howardpianoind 8 жыл бұрын

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble. You could send me a picture and I can see if I can tell what needs to be done. My email address is steve@howardpianoindustries.com

@Hutchoo0 3 жыл бұрын

What’s the best way to transport the action?

@howardpianoind 3 жыл бұрын

I drive a Minivan so the action will go in the back with the seats down easily.

@Hutchoo0 3 жыл бұрын

No case?

@howardpianoind 3 жыл бұрын

No, a case would need to be too large. You just have to be careful in transporting it.

@audreyantoine7 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you but I can't put it all the way back

@howardpianoind 6 жыл бұрын

You'll want to make sure that it is going in at the correct angle. You may have problems if you try and put it straight in because of the spring on the side. If you put the keyframe in so the right side goes in a little ahead of the left side, this should help.

@audreyantoine7 6 жыл бұрын

howardpianoind thank you for the fast answer! I’ll try your advice, thanks again.