Mechanical noises when use and release soft pedal Steinway M

[lukew]

I'm having an annoying problem with a new Steinway M. The sound and touch are gorgeous. But if I use the soft pedal in a PP section and then release the pedal, some of the keys will click when played again after the release of the pedal. It seems worse if I have the soft pedal partially depressed. Once a key has been played and made the click sound it makes no more extraneous sounds until the soft pedal is again engaged or released. It's as though something gets torqued out of position and has to re-center itself after the key shift from the soft pedal action. I had a reputed technician look over the piano mechanisms and he said they all were properly aligned. The piano is about 3-4 months old. Any suggestions?  Is this something that may go away in time as things settle more?  I'm not sure what to do. Thanks for any help.

[iansinclair]

Well, of course it shouldn't do that.

But one comment first: by soft pedal, I presume you mean the left, una corda pedal.  It should never, ever be played partially depressed.  Ever.  Either press it all the way, or release it all the way.

If you play with it partially depressed, you will get some odd responses, guaranteed.  You'll also, over time, play havoc with the hammers.

Now, that said.  All it does is shift the entire keyboard slightly to the right.  The shift -- which is easily adjusted by your technician, but shouldn't need it -- is enough to shift the hammers so that on the triple string notes (treble), only two are hit instead of three and on the double string notes only one is hit.  The entire keyboard should shift very smoothly and easily.

It is remotely possible that something has gotten caught under the keys.  Your technician can slide the action out and check that.

[lukew]

Thank you. I didn't know about depressing fully only. It certainly makes sense. The technician did slide out the hammer mechanism and looked underneath. He also very slightly adjusted the sliders, but I'll be careful not to depress the una corde anything short of fully. I did lengthen the rod by adjusting the adjusting screw at the top of the pedal rod where it meets the lever that moves the key mechanism to take out any free play so that my depressing the pedal immediately shifts the keyboard. I'll see how that goes tomorrow. Again thank you for your guidance. If anything else comes to mind, please let me know.

[quantum]

But one comment first: by soft pedal, I presume you mean the left, una corda pedal.  It should never, ever be played partially depressed.  Ever.  Either press it all the way, or release it all the way.

If you play with it partially depressed, you will get some odd responses, guaranteed.  You'll also, over time, play havoc with the hammers.

I must respectfully disagree with this comment.

Just as the sustain pedal can be effectively used as a gradient as opposed on a binary on/off position, so too can the una corda pedal.  It will not play any more havoc on the hammers as normal use would dictate.  Using the una corda in this manner is just a further mechanism for tonal refinement, and an instrument of this calibre would surely allow such use.  One should not expect any drastic changes to the hammers because of this type of use of the una corda.


If you have only had the piano for 3-4 months, I would first approach the dealer from where you purchased it.  Don't be afraid to get a second or third opinion from other technicians. 

[j_menz]

Just as the sustain pedal can be effectively used as a gradient as opposed on a binary on/off position, so too can the una corda pedal.  It will not play any more havoc on the hammers as normal use would dictate. 

True enough. However, it works in this way by causing less often used (and therefore less compressed/fluffier) bits of the hammer felt to strike the stings. It should therefore be used only where there is a desired outcome. Using it half on by default will cause odd hammer wear and will negate the effect, or make it more idiosyncratic to achieve.

[hfmadopter]

I would not half press the soft pedal on my grand. Partly for the reasons stated above but also because my piano is very old and I just try to give it a living chance to survive. I have voiced my hammers though and until they are grooved again I wouldn't expect too much in the way of odd sounds.  It can happen that when there is some grooving in the hammers you can get strange off tones with a half press. But this doesn't sound like the OP's issue, his sounds more like a mechanical issue to me or issue of the mechanism I should say..

[silverwoodpianos]

It's as though something gets torqued out of position and has to re-center itself after the key shift from the soft pedal action. I had a reputed technician look over the piano mechanisms and he said they all were properly aligned.

Reads like the sostenuto is hanging up when the action/keyboard shifts. Or possible loose hammer bump rail.
Reputed technician or not we all miss things at times.

I did lengthen the rod by adjusting the adjusting screw at the top of the pedal rod where it meets the lever that moves the key mechanism to take out any free play so that my depressing the pedal immediately shifts the keyboard. If anything else comes to mind, please let me know.

Yes something does come to mind here. An instrument of this quality is under warranty. Don’t risk voiding that warranty by attempting mechanical adjustment on your own.

[lukew]

The problem is definitely the mechanical sounds and not a problem in the quality of the sound of the notes.  When the technician came out, he did mention the possibility of the sostenuto hanging, but I didn't fully comprehend what he was considering at the time.  In any case, even after his visit and adjustment of the glides, I still have the problem and it is annoying.  I'll recontact him.  He offered that I should come into the store here in Wilmington, DE and try some other M's to see if I have a different experience.  I guess that's the next step.
Please, if any other ideas come to mind, post them. I am so grateful for your input.

[chopes]

One idea for you... I had a similar problem with my Kawai RX3. A light click or two when playing notes after having used the una corda pedal.

I finally found that the problem was that the action wasn't returning absolutely smoothly and completely after using the pedal. The playing of one or two notes however was then helping the action creak back into position.

Have a look at the balance rail studs that the action glides on (usually 3/4) over the main frame. I very slightly raised the left hand one and dusted a small amount of talc underneath the action. This cured my problem anyway.