Why do piano keys get stuck

Overall this might take 10 minutes or so to do. Give the keys a little bit of play and see how they feel. Whenever my keys start to stiffen up I just apply the lubricant and it works great. Ultimately if the rail pins are completely corroded and beyond cleaning and lubrication then you need to replace them.

This is not something I would do on your own, so a piano technician would be worth it here. Your first instinct might be to just replace the pins that are corroded, but for consistency I recommend replacing them all. Over time things get loose, work there way out of place, bend and yes even break inside the piano. When it comes to key sticking the last place I look is at the hammers. If you take off the fall board you can usually get a good look at what exactly those hammers are doing.

If you can get a good look at the hammer butt and flange then the cause of your issues are likely there.

The flanges have metal pins in them and at times those can be too tight or too loose. An issue like that is hard to diagnose, but it can totally slow up the entire action of that individual key to the point that it sticks. Bent springs and corroded hammer parts are also potential causes.

If you suspect the hammers are having issues then definitely call a piano technician. Moisture levels in the air can have a tremendous affect on your instrument. This goes beyond just how your instrument sounds, but also how it performs too. When the humidity levels are higher your piano can experience swelling of the wood. When this happens things start to work themselves out of place.

Swollen keys can happen in really extreme situations especially, which almost certainly will be the reason the key is sticking. You can actually attempt to fix this without buying new piano keys though. Depress the key and then stick a coin or screw driver in between. By adding a little pressure and wiggling you can properly space the keys back to their normal place. This works for white and black keys too, just be careful not to chip it and be gentle.

Piano humidifier systems is perfect when you need constant temperature regulation. In a hot southern environment like Florida especially, a humidifier like this will save you on having to constantly tune the piano, dealing with wood swelling and parts getting messed up. If this treatment is ineffective and the pins are corroded beyond help, then you will need to hire a technician to replace them. The key slip houses the front part of the piano keys and helps to protect them. It can happen that the key slip gets jammed up against the white keys and when this happens you can experience sticking piano keys.

The fix is reasonably simple, requiring the unscrewing of the two key blocks located at both ends of the key slip to gently work it out. While it is removed, dust and other objects that may be stuck within the piano can be removed and then the key slip replaced to its correct position. The blocks that hold the keyboard in place and sit at either end of the key slip can squeeze the wood against the front of your key frame. Sticking keys are inconvenient, but always fixable. If you have identified a problem with your keys, then why not get in touch with us on to arrange for a technician to come and fix it for you!

Menu Search Account. By Lucy Maddox - May 30, Self-diagnosis When did the key first start sticking? Fixing the problem Moisture: Levels of moisture in the air can affect how your piano plays.

Recommended Articles. Student pianist Alexandra Chen on small hand-spans, Spanish composers and sonority of sound. If the cause is junk in the piano, you can diagnose and fix the problem at the same time. Remove the lid, remove the music shelf, and remove the fallboard and fall strip — this is not as hard as it sounds, just be careful to keep the screws with the appropriate parts.

Use a knife to dislodge anything between the keys or compressed air to blow away anything underneath the keys or within the piano. If the item is large, just use your hands. You may have to get creative! If the rail or balance pin is corroded, you need to take a metal polish to the pins and make them smooth again. To do this, you need to remove the key completely.

To remove keys, you need to remove the key slip on the piano. On upright pianos, you remove the key slip with screws attached to the bottom of the piano.

Then, you need to remove the fall board, which is the board behind the keys. There will be one more board called the retaining board that is holding the keys in across their middle section. Then, you should be able to lift the key off the guide pins and polish the pins until they are smooth. Follow these steps in reverse order to reassemble the piano. If you have determined that the cause of the sticky key is due to swollen felt on the bushings or in a flange somewhere, this is probably time to call a piano technician.

They will remove the key and use a special iron to compress and reform the felt. Sometimes, you can free the pin by hand by moving the key laterally back and forth.

To do this, you will have had to remove the key slip, fall board, and retaining board as mentioned above. Once you lift the key, gently move it back and forth against the pin to compress the felt. The point is to compress the felt, not warp the wood, so be careful. In desperate situations, you could try taking a hair-drier and blowing it laterally across the keys and key slip for a few minutes. Sometimes, this will dry out the felt and free the key. It should be said that many of these problems can be avoided if the piano is stored and maintained properly.

If possible, the piano should be kept on an inside wall so that the temperature does not change. Large changes in temperature will cause the wood to warp over time.

The piano should be moved as little as possible, both to prevent temperature change and to prevent mishaps. You may have to install a dehumidifier in your room or piano. Ask your piano tuner about whether a dehumidifier inside the piano would work for you — this is the number one cause of sticky keys and problems with pianos, and the solution could be that simple.

Do not allow students or kids to put any liquids on your piano. Keep food away from the piano as well. Keep pencils in a jar, so they do not roll into the piano, and try to keep paper clips in a jar as well. Taking these precautions will save you a headache in the future.

If you are getting regular maintenance and treating the instrument with care, you will not have many problems. Remember though, none of what you've learned will matter if you don't know how to get your music out there and earn from it.

Want to learn how to do that? The Wurlitzer electric piano is my favorite vintage keyboard. I own and maintain one, and like to lug it across countries playing music and hammering out solos. They are great instruments with a great tone and a great look.

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