Piano Regulation

'Regulation‘ is the name given to the process of adjustment of all the mechanical parts that make up the action, keyboard and pedal mechanism. With use, there is inevitably wear and tear on moving parts, compression of felts and hardening of leather, and as a result the piano loses it’s evenness of touch, its power and its dynamic range. It’s a bit like driving a car that is misfiring and has two flat tyres.

Each one of the 88 notes on a piano has at least 25 different points of adjustment, so regulation is a highly skilled and time consuming job, but it can transform the experience of playing the piano.

A new piano benefits greatly from being regulated a few months after purchase to compensate for settling and compression of new felts; after that a moderately used domestic piano will need regulating perhaps once every 3-5 years, while a more heavily used professional’s piano should be regulated annually.