🎹 Can We Control the Sound of a Piano Beyond the Dynamics?
- Jean Muller
- May 22
- 2 min read
Today, we begin exploring the mechanical heart of the piano: the so-called action.
When Bartolomeo Cristofori first experimented with replacing the plucking mechanism of the harpsichord with hammers, he encountered a major engineering problem.
If the key were directly connected to the hammer, the hammer would stay pressed against the string for as long as the key was held down — preventing the string from vibrating freely. In short, it would be unplayable.
Cristofori’s genius was to invent the escapement mechanism — a system of levers that disconnects the hammer from the key at the last moment.
The hammer is thrown forward by inertia, strikes the string, and rebounds, leaving the string free to vibrate.
That one invention changed everything.
Modern pianos still rely on a version of Cristofori’s action. It allowed for a louder instrument than the harpsichord, with far greater dynamic range than the intimate clavichord.
It could play soft (piano) and loud (forte) — hence the name: pianoforte.
For our purposes, we can think of the action in four main components:
1. The key, a simple lever working like a seesaw
2. The jack, including the escapement and repetition mechanism
3. The hammer, including the hammerhead
4. The damper, which is moved by the key — and can also be lifted by the pedal
This mechanical marvel is what enables the pianist to produce such a wide expressive range.
But here’s the question:
Does the pianist have any control over the quality of sound beyond dynamics?
This question has sparked intense debate for more than a century.
At one extreme, Eugen Tetzel argued that only the speed of the hammer affects tone — and nothing else.
He even cited physicists of his time, including Max Planck, to support this claim.
For decades, this position dominated, relegating pianists who worked on their touch to the realm of mysticism.
Thankfully, more recent research has reopened the discussion — suggesting a more nuanced view may be scientifically justified after all.
I, like many pianists, believe the answer is yes: we can influence the character of sound.
The piano amplifies every form of acoustic energy — not only the vibrations of the strings.
And the key doesn’t just control the hammer — it also controls the damper, which changes how the sound begins, resonates, and fades.
These subtleties open doors we’ll begin exploring very soon.
✨
JM | Art of Piano
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