Piano key issues - help!

[littlewing]

Hey everyone,

I am the proud owner of a beautiful ebony upright Yamaha. It's about 15 years old, but is in excellent condition (until today). We have it tuned every 6 months, and have installed a humidifier/dehumidifier within the piano to keep everything running smoothly.

I was playing this morning, and noticed two keys sticking quite badly. These same 2 keys also have a larger gap between them than the other keys (I've attached a pic). I ran a (never used) eyelash brush between the keys in case something was stuck. Both sides are clear, and I don't feel any obstructions underneath the keys when I play them...they just stick. I'm wondering if the problem might be that the wood underneath these two keys might be cracking or something, causing the keys to pull apart, and stick. I'm very, very worried. If this has happened to any of you before, and you know what the cause is (or better yet, how to fix it), I'd be so grateful.

Thank you in advance for your time.

[hfmadopter]

If the two keys that are sticking are side by side it could be that they are rubbing. That's a bit rare unless one or both keys are warped, not unheard of however..

 The most common cause I have found in upright pianos with sticking keys is that the hammer shanks are warped on one or both of the two notes in question. Then the hammers rub together. It's a fairly simple fix and matter of adjustment unless the warp-age is severe. In that case the shanks need replacing. Still not a huge job but you will need a tech to do it.. If this is the cause you only need to look inside the piano at the hammers and move the keys, you can physically see them rubbing together.

Around 15 years old is a good time to have a few of these things looked over beyond the standard tuning anyway. maybe some regulation work done at the same time. I wouldn't get too concerned but you may need that tech and pay a bit more cost than the average tuning would require..

FWIW, it's possible something is cracked but I rather doubt it.

[iansinclair]

I presume it's the B and the C?  Keep in mind that the keys are essentially pivoted just behind the fall board -- and it looks to me as though maybe the B has shifted the front a bit to the left -- towards the A -- which would swing the back towards the C.  And, possibly, stick.

Why?  Dunno.

I'm no expert on piano actions!  But I can say that you should have a tech. look at it -- do-it-yourself repairs, unless you have a spare piano, can be ... unfortunate.  (saying which, he heads off to adjust a couple of dampers... do as I say, not as I do!).

[withindale]

You are well advised to have a tech look at it but, if it were my piano, I would remove the front and the fallboard to see if anything obvious has fallen between the keys. However, there's a risk that you might damage the case doing that so call a tech who knows what to do!