Have you ever faced a problem with your piano keys? Well, if the answer is Yes, then this article is for you. Most beginner pianists wonder why do piano keys stick. It is quite irritating when the key starts sticking while you are playing a song or some music in front of your friends.
Beginner pianists often get worried when their piano keys get irresponsive or become hard to press. However, on the contrary, an experienced pianist knows why the piano is giving a problem and what might be its possible remedies.
Do you want to be an experienced pianist? Read this article thoroughly to learn about why do piano keys stick and what can be possible solutions. Here we will discuss the possible reasons for sticking keys and how to tackle them while playing a song.
1. Due to Food Particles or Other Small Items
For the excellent maintenance of the piano, it is essential to keep it clean. Some people habitually eat on the piano while playing and do not clean the area properly. By mistake, some food crumbs fell on the keys and stuck between them, making them harder to move.
If you have kids and you have the problem of sticking keys, it is apparent that they have thrown something between keys. It may be coins, pencils, other small items, etc. It is also a reason for sticking keys, as the stuck coins or other small items leave them immobile.
2. Keys Sticking due to Key slip
As most of the piano parts are made of wood, there is a high swelling chance due to humidity. One of the wooden parts is present below the keys called a key slip, which constitutes a long wooden piece. The swelling of key slip causes the piano keys to stick during playing.
Another reason for keys sticking is when you play piano and lean forward on the piano while playing. This act may cause press keys against the key slip, making the keys harder to push and becoming immovable.
For repair, all you need is to hold the key slip and pull it forward. To make some space between the key slip and keys, you may need to place a thin tapered piece of cardboard. For this purpose, slowly loosen the screws below the keybed and place the cardboard shims.
3. Stuck Objects below the Keys
While having the issue of sticking keys, you may think of why my piano keys stick. Sticking keys is common and is not a very big issue. Sometimes small objects may be stabbed below the keys and jam them, creating many problems for them.
To fix this problem, you have to look at the piano’s interior. For this purpose, unclip the fallboard and remove it from the place. Take help from a screwdriver, and remove all the screws in a sequence. It will help you in the assembly of all the parts.
Once you have disassembled all the parts, it’s time to check the anterior. Inspect the inside with the help of a torch to look for stuck objects. Remove all the things and reassemble all the parts to their original position in reverse order of disassembling.
4. Constricted Sluggish Fragments
Thousands of different parts of the piano collectively work to produce mind-blowing melodies. Two of the parts are the jack flange and the hammer flange. All of the piano keys are connected to the jack flange and the jack flange to the hammer flange.
A center pin connects both the jack flange and the hammer flange. The center pin occasionally becomes too tight, making it difficult for a key to move resulting in the key sticking. To overcome this issue, you only need to replace the center pins.
5. Humidity Level
Let’s discuss an example from daily life; we say that spicy food is just like poison for a gastric ulcer. Compare this example with that of moisture level and the piano. Continued exposure to a high level of moisture can permanently damage your piano, leaving it useless.
The majority of the parts of a piano are made from wood. We also know that wood can absorb moisture from the surrounding. The wood absorbs water and swells when the moisture level increases from a specific limit.
Due to this swelling, the affected parts cannot move, leading to the keys sticking. To combat this situation, keep a close check on the humidity level of your space. If the level fluctuates, take steps according to the changes.
6. Disruption in the Balancing Tail
Sometimes a break in the balancing tail occurs due to deterioration. Due to this breakage, you may not play the piano as the front of the key is tightly pressed. The pressed part doesn’t go up to its original position to continuously push the key.
It’s better to replace the entire key stick to solve this problem of sticky keys. But to avoid this situation, in the long run, clean the whole keyboard daily with a soft cloth.
Final Words:
Musical instruments need great care and attention. Without proper care, your musical instrument won’t even last a month. Get as much knowledge about your musical instrument as you can. Also, ensure that you repair small damaged parts as soon as possible.
This was all about why do piano keys stick and how you can eliminate the problem. We hope you have got enough information about piano keys, their working, and how to keep them working for a long time. Best of luck with your career as a pianist.