Focus On: Voicing

The Owner’s Guide to Piano Repair

Barnes Piano, LLC

Charlotte · Raleigh · Durham · Chapel Hill

(704) 960-4129 – (919) 324-6620

service@barnespiano.com www.BarnesPiano.com

imilar to humans, every piano has its own unique voice. Some will be warmer, some

will be thinner, and some will have a more full voice. Each pianist will develop a

preferred tone for their style of music.

Voicing refers to adjusting the density

of the piano hammer felts in order to

produce a desired tone.

A piano’s tone is a personal

preference; therefore, there is no “perfect

tone”. There should, however, be a wide

range of tone and it should be even from

the lowest to the highest note. Your tone

preference may greatly depend on the

type of music you play. A lively, crisp

sound is typically suited for jazz, while a

richer tone would be better suited for Chopin and the classical repertoire.

Over a period of 5-10 years, a piano will lose its original tone as the hammer felts

become compacted. Some pianos will become “brighter” than others, but when the

hammer felts become too hard, it is said to have gone out of voicing. Exacting

measurements and corresponding adjustments are needed to restore the proper tone to

your piano. If the adjustments of your piano’s action related to tone have not

been attended to recently and are causing the piano to sound different, a job of

voicing is in order.

The following commonly asked questions have been answered to give you the

information you need in order to decide whether or not to have your piano voiced:

S

What exactly would cause a piano to go out of voicing? Weren’t necessary

adjustments set at the factory?

All pianos would have been voiced to some degree

at the factory where it was built or on the showroom

floor. Higher quality instruments obviously receive

more attention than lower quality models, and as

such, have a more balanced tone from the

beginning. But even the finest quality piano will go

out of voicing over time.

The piano, while seeming simple on the

outside, is in fact a very complex mechanical

marvel. Just as an accomplished athlete can make a

difficult skill look easy, the efficiency of the piano’s action makes a very complicated set

of motions seem simple. When a note on your piano is played, the energy from your

finger instantly puts a carefully balanced system of levers and springs into motion. The

piano hammer is the most important of all these parts. If the piano is in need of voicing,

nothing the pianist can do will result in a warm, melodious and consistent tone. It is

similar to hitting a piece of fine china with a rock instead of a cotton ball. No matter how

soft or hard you throw the rock, it is going to break the china every time.

The primary reason that the piano

needs to be voiced is that the hammer felts

(88 across the entire piano) have become

worn and compressed with use. As this

compression occurs, the hammer felt density is

no longer appropriate for producing music, just

harsh noise.

Over time a gradual loss of performance

occurs. Even the most accomplished pianist will

become frustrated that the piano is not

responding as it once did. When fortetissimo (fff)

is called for, the piano will respond with a harsh noise, and when pianissmo (ppp) is called

for, the piano will respond with a bright, rather than warm and rich experience. Although

the change occurs over time, at some point it starts to become obvious that the piano is

not at peak performance.

If other repairs are needed, is it necessary to make them first?

If a piano has not been maintained on a

regular basis, it should be looked over

carefully to determine what repairs are

needed in preparation for voicing. Voicing is

the final step in any piano preparation.

Hammers may be badly worn in need of

replacement or shaping. Action parts may

need repairing or alignment. Key bushings

might need to be replaced or resized. Any

repair which would have an effect on the

voicing process should be accomplished first,

before the time-consuming job of setting

adjustments is made. Otherwise a great deal of backtracking might be necessary down

the road when adjustments, which were made once, are thrown off by new parts or

repairs.

Furthermore, before having your piano voiced it is important to first

have it tuned and regulated. Often times the difference you are hearing in tone will

be resolved with these two services. If after tuning and regulation you are still not

satisfied with the piano’s tone, then voicing is the next step.

Assuming I do decide to have my piano voiced, what will the job involve?

For the most part, voicing is done primarily on-site.

Depending on the condition of the action, it may

need to be transported to the workshop for

preliminary repairs and a small amount of preliminary

voicing. Although it might be technically possible to

do this prep work in the home, it ordinarily works out

much better to complete the work in a shop.

With the preliminary repair work done, the job

of voicing may now be done with extreme precision.

The action will be returned to the piano and the final

step of voicing will be performed. An overall correct

tone will be achieved by adjusting each hammer, and then each note is voiced

individually to create an even tone across the entire keyboard. Each hammer is only

voiced on what is referred to as the “hammer shoulder”. No voicing should be done

where the hammer strikes the string (see image above).

We always try to do the final voicing with the musician present when possible.

Since voicing is much like a custom tailored suit or being fitted for a dress, it is important

to have the musician present so we can take the time needed to understand their

preferences. Often times we will play a series of notes and discuss with the musicians

which ones they “like” and which ones they “dislike”. Then we will take 15-20 minutes to

make some adjustments. We will then call the musician back into the room and get their

feedback. This process is repeated and refined until the tone of all 88 notes is consistent

and suited to the musician’s taste.

A few of the steps involved and their significance are as follows:

The process is not a simple “once and done” procedure, but more a process of refining

the tone by going through the series of steps a number of times until everything is at the

optimum setting.

Loud or Short Tone

If your piano’s tone is too bright, loud, or seems

tinny, brassy or harsh, the process of softening

the hammers will be done. This is typically

adjusted by inserting needles into specific areas of

the hammer to increase flexibility.

Weak or Mellow Tone

If your piano’s tone is too weak or mellow, the

process of hardening the hammers will need to be

done. This is typically adjusted by applying a very

controlled and small amount chemical hardening solution to the hammer shoulder or

filing away soft outer layers of the hammer felt.

How long does voicing take?

Voicing can take as little as 5 minutes and as

much as 5-10 hours. It all depends on how

much work the piano requires. Obviously

achieving a large difference in the tone will

take longer than a minor change. A skilled

technician can make minor tone adjustments

quickly after each tuning or more substantial

improvements over the course of 2-3 hours.

Ultimately the voicing job begins when the

musician is unhappy with the piano’s current

tone, and ends when the musician is satisfied

with the new life they experience from their

piano. At Barnes Piano, we usually start with an hour or two and only progress longer if it

is needed.

Do new piano’s need voicing?

Yes. Honestly, new pianos are the ones

that could benefit most from a quality

voicing by a highly skilled technician.

Unfortunately piano manufactures and

retailers are always trying to cut costs.

A piano is technically supposed to

receive tuning and voicing services on

the sales floor before it is delivered;

sadly, this necessary prep work is

rarely completed unless the buyer

specifically negotiates it into the price

of the sale. New pianos should receive at least 1-2 hours of voicing and a

minimum and 3-5 if it is being used in an advanced/professional setting . After

assessing your instrument, Barnes Piano will be able to discuss with you exactly what

your piano does and does not need in the form of voicing.

How often does a piano need to be voiced?

Often times after 5 years of use the piano is more than ready for a good voicing. After 10-

15 years of use, the piano will likely need additional repairs or maintenance in the form of

regulation and tuning before any voicing can be done. If this is the case, we will

recommend these repairs be completed before a voicing job is scheduled.

For most pianos a light voicing every couple years should be adequate. At Barnes

Piano we actually include minor voicing as a part of our regular service call. If we hear a

note that is “off” we will quickly spend 5-10 minutes voicing a section after the tuning.

Often times our clients never see us do this extra step, but they always hear the

difference. A decent amount of voicing is typically done on concert pianos before every

performance. Since a piano goes out of voicing as a result of the amount of

play, a piano which is used on a more regular basis will need to be voiced

more often than one that sits idle for long periods at a ti me. An initial voicing can

be performed to achieve your desired tone, and then readjustments can be performed

every 1-5 years to maintain its tone.

“In business to bring your piano to its full potential”

Please advise me when you wish to have this repair professionally done.

Timothy Barnes / Barnes Piano, LLC

5806 Prosperity Church Rd, Suite A2-195, Charlotte, NC 28269

Phone: (704) 960-4129 – (919) 324-6620 Email: service@barnespiano.com

Web: www.BarnesPiano.com