The Fascinating World Inside of a Piano

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Recently I was lucky enough to get a top notch piano technician -- Damon Groves on camera to explain all kinds of things related to how pianos work from the inside, how pianos are made, the different parts of the action, how to care for your piano, etc.

Damon is the Head Piano Technician at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has been maintaining and rebuilding pianos for the past twelve years. He has had the pleasure of working with many of the world's best pianists including Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel, Chick Corea, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Helene Grimuad and Yuja Wang.

Here are the timestamps for your reference.
(If viewing on a smartphone or tablet, find the timestamps in the pinned comment).

00:53 All of the different parts of a piano action
01:43 Basic key mechanism
02:21 The art of voicing
06:33 The bump at the bottom of the keys (single escapement)
07:46 How dampers work
08:46 Parts that wear out faster
10:04 Ideal conditions for pianos (temperature and humidity)
11:13 Ideal locations for pianos (what not to do)
12:44 How to make the touch lighter or heavier
16:20 How to clean your piano
17:37 New pianos
18:38 Adjusting pianos vs. adjusting TO pianos
19:35 How often you should tune pianos
20:10 Smaller vs. larger pianos
21:17 Advantages of playing on a grand piano
22:59 Tips when looking for a used piano
25:07 Pedals
25:59 The sostenuto “middle” pedal
29:28 Final thoughts

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As always, thank you so much for watching, and thank you to all of you that leave comments.

[AdamNeely]

I finally know how the sostenuto pedal works. I didn't know I needed to know that. But I very much am glad that I did.

Amazing video!

[tanyab]

I'm glad there are people who are experts in this detail.

[LrdVnm]

Hello Nahre,

I'm Rick, a third (and last) year student at the HMC in Amsterdam, studying to be a pianotechnician just like Damon. Seeing this video pop up in my recommended instead of the usual videogame related stuff was a beautiful surprise and I love how in-depth the information went! It's like my whole school career condensed into 30 minutes instead of three years.
Often when I open up a piano to tune or regulate, people respond with awe and a "I've never seen the inside of my piano!", which both gives me the happy opportunity to introduce them to the inner workings but also saddens me a little that such a popular instrument still harbours so many secrets from its most loyal fans.
So I'd like to extend an honest and heartfelt *thanks* for this video. It has earned you a new subscriber :)

All the best!

[RickBeato]

Not only a fascinating video but a great soundtrack as well!

[NahreSol]

Timestamps for smartphone viewers --

00:53 All of the different parts of a piano action
01:43 Basic key mechanism
02:21 The art of voicing
06:33 The bump at the bottom of the keys (single escapement)
07:46 How dampers work
08:46 Parts that wear out faster
10:04 Ideal conditions for pianos (temperature and humidity)
11:13 Ideal locations for pianos (what not to do)
12:44 How to make the touch lighter or heavier
16:20 How to clean your piano
17:37 New pianos
18:38 Adjusting pianos vs. adjusting TO pianos
19:35 How often you should tune pianos
20:10 Smaller vs. larger pianos
21:17 Advantages of playing on a grand piano
22:59 Tips when looking for a used piano
25:07 Pedals
25:59 The sostenuto “middle” pedal
29:28 Final thoughts

[RhettShull]

This makes my guitar rig look like a child's toy.

[greggraham]

I am a piano technician, and expected to catch the tuner saying something wrong, and gleefully shouting "Ah-HA!", but instead found that I agreed with everything he said. Very well done!

[JohnRuggero]

I'm also a concert piano technician. Great video! This guy sounds like me talking Haha. Piano technicians revel in anonymity. If I go to tune for a concert no news is good news. A call from the concert hall is never the artist complementing you on what an amazing job you did. 😁 but with experience you get very good at eliminating issues that will often be noticed by the artist. I find satisfaction in being the unsung part of a concert. A well prepared piano can make or break a performance both for the artist and audience. I love my job and I hope that us aural tuners don't become a thing if the past!

[ariebirb]

My family has a really big grand piano that exposed its insides when open. I remember when I was a kid spending hours when not playing staring at the inside and watching the hammers bounce, counting the strings. I completely forgot until I saw your video and I got thrown back. I was a quiet kid with not many friends, but I vividly remember this. I remember it.

[agento]

A very informative and for me, a nostalgic video. As a youngster in the late 70's, my mother was a music teacher at a high school, taught piano and violin at a local piano store, and was responsible for the home schooling of piano lessons for my siblings and myself. We had an old rustic baby grand Wurlitzer in our home studio. From time to time she would tune the piano and pull the keyboard out. I remember being completely mesmerized by all the moving parts.
The topic of temperature and humidity regulation is really applicable to all stringed instruments. I grew up in a large Victorian house in Washington and our home studio had two walls that were all windows. I remember the piano, an orchestral pedal harp, and various other stringed instruments in there. It was the only room in the house in which the hardwood floors were completely covered in carpet. During the colder months and in winter, those two windowed walls were covered with blankets to help regulate the temperature and offset condensation. We, my siblings and I, were often scolded for leaving the doors open in the studio. Gahhh!!! Too much nostalgia! Time to call mom and dad and check in. :D

[jcwpiano]

This video may just be the best video on YouTube at this moment with regards to the intricate insides of pianos...great job putting this together!

[mykolas]

This video is gold for piano community. Thank You Nahre Sol for such a wise use of a platform, and Damon Groves for a very down-to-earth overview on piano and maintenance.
P. S. It's hygrometer :)

[Space_Potat]

Only 12 minutes in I realised, that it feels SO NICE to watch these two talk. Very interesting, but I mean the whole energy, for the lack of a better term of the two is so good

[vincentneale]

I am a pianist who became a Piano Tuner / Technician worked for over 40 years in the trade- Every pianist should have knowledge of the instrument they play.

[pianist]

The best ever video about piano mechanism!

[irar]

This was so informative! I've been playing the piano for more than 1/2 a century and never knew most of this. Thanks for posting.

[TLMuse]

I'm not a pianist (guitarist), but this is fascinating anyway! Thanks for this, Nahre. -Tom

[HaiTran-bpcv]

Two persons both are extremely knowledgeable and humble at the same time. Thanks for the educational video

[TimothyGondola]

I grew up as a classically-trained pianist but never really learned the intricacies of a piano like this. Thank you so much for taking your time to make this video, super useful, I don't know where else I'd learn this knowledge!

[zdbarnett]

This is a magnificent video. Like you, I've been playing piano for 20+ years and have never taken much time to think about EXACTLY how the mechanisms work and what parts affect tone. Thank you so much!