A silent piano is an acoustic

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

where there is an option to silence the strings by stopping the hammers from striking them. A silent piano is designed for private silent practice. In the silent mode, sensors pick up the

piano key The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

movement, converting it to a

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

signal that can be sent to an electronic sound module, allowing the person playing to use headphones. The pianos also have full MIDI capability for sending signals and can be linked to a computer for use with notation software, etc.

Mechanics

In all silent systems, engaging the silent function causes a bar to move into place such that it intercepts the hammer shank and stops the hammer from hitting the

piano string Piano wire, or "music wire", is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano strings but also in other applications as springs. It is made from tempered high-carbon steel, also known as spring steel, which replaced iron as the material st ...

. Older models detected key movement by using mechanical sensors that affected the touch and produced a clicking sound, whereas newer models use optical sensors that do not affect the feel or sound of the piano. In more advanced systems, usually on

grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

s, the piano's

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

is also altered when the silent function is engaged. This changes the action's setoff setting so that the escapement trips at a lower point in the hammer's motion towards the string. This allows the action to be regulated correctly in the non-silent setting. Without it, the action must be regulated to be a compromise between what is needed in non-silent mode and what is needed in silent mode.

Manufacturers

Silent pianos are available from many manufacturers, including

Steinway Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a ...

, Bechstein,

Bösendorfer Bösendorfer (L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH) is an Austrian piano manufacturer and, since 2008, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation. Bösendorfer is unusual in that it produces 97- and 92-key models in addition to instrument ...

Grotrian-Steinweg Grotrian-Steinweg, known as Grotrian in the US, is a German manufacturer of prestige pianos. The company is based in Braunschweig, Germany, commonly known as Brunswick in English. Grotrian-Steinweg makes premium grand pianos and upright pianos. ...

Kawai is a musical instrument manufacturing company headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is best known for its grand pianos, upright pianos, digital pianos, electronic keyboards and electronic synthesizers. The company was founded in Augus ...

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

, Schimmel, Petrof and Seiler. PianoDisc provides systems to be installed ex post.

References

{{reflist Piano