Your Guide to Piano Makers

If a person of any weight fell onto or into an action, they would cause a lot of damage. The small parts may be strong by themselves, but a small amount of weight or force can crush them. Fortunately, this action is contained within the instrument so that the case gives it some protection. This part of the piano is the one with 6,000 to 7,000 parts. These are the working parts that strike the strings.

The keys lie just under these parts. When the key is pressed down, it comes into contact with the action and sends the hammer forward to strike the strings. Most pianos will have around 230 to 250 strings. Each string is pulled tight to about 165 pounds of tension. The strings are made of high-quality steel.

The bass strings are a steel core with a copper wrapping. In the process of making a piano, the case is first assembled—sides, beams, soundboard, pin block, and cast iron plate. The action is assembled separately. The making and cutting of the keys is also a separate process. After the casing and basic structure are built, the strings are put on.

They hook to the cast iron plate, pass over a bridge, and are hooked into and wrapped around a steel tuning pin, then pulled tight. Total tension when all strings are tuned can be as much as 20 to 30 tons. So you see, it's got to be a strong piece of equipment.

Before it can be fully tuned, the keys, action, and dampers are installed. Now the action is fully regulated, and then the piano is fine-tuned. This is a whole lot of work! And of course, if the instrument is a fine one, then there was much time spent in designing it. A poor or sloppy design will result in a poor-quality piano.

Along with cheaper parts and materials, another thing adding to a poorly made instrument is inferior workmanship—basically, workers who don't know anything and don't care to know anything! Oh! Let's not forget about the head of the company. If they're building a bad piano, what do they care?

So you see, it's not just the physical building of a piano that makes it a good one—it's the skill and care that went into the design. In the matter of quality, there is probably a company CEO who truly cares about building a fine piano. This type of care is what all the great piano makers have—a true, heartfelt desire to build the world's greatest instruments. Sadly, many piano builders throughout history have not had this desire. Almost just as sad, many may have had the desire but not the skill or knowledge. Making a good piano is a very unique ability.