Graded action?

[Hlaalu]

Hi folks,

I am posting here because this isn't about Nord, but about pianos in general, including acoustic pianos.

Surprisingly I couldn't find much online regarding "graded" piano action. Probably this isn't the right term? What I am referring to is the fact that the lower the notes, the harder the keys are to press (and possibly the longer it takes for them to come up level).

In acoustic pianos, is this feature a byproduct of the fact that the hammers have to strike bigger strings, or is it something intended in the construction of the instrument so that lower notes oppose more resistance when played, so to speak? Some sort of ergonomic "feedback"?

I asked a friend who's a tuner, and he said he thought it to be a byproduct of piano manufacturing, but he wasn't totally sure.

I am pretty sure I have read here on NUF that some Nords have graded action, but I couldn't find anything on the website (admittedly, I didn't go through all the manuals). I would expect only the high end pianos to have it, like the Grand and the Piano 5.

Anyway, maybe there's some (acoustic) pianist on here that has a knowledge of this.

Thanks

[maxpiano]

Hi Hlaalu,

regarding the search, I suggest to go for "graded-hammer piano action"

Then I would pioint you this interesting article by Yamaha https://hub.yamaha.com/pianos/p-digital ... hted-keys/ and in particular

3. Graded Weighting

Every single key on a grand piano keyboard is weighted differently. This is because the strings for each note are slightly thinner and shorter in the treble register, becoming thicker and longer towards the bass register. As a result, there is greater resistance when playing low notes than when playing high notes. In other words, a heavier touch is required in the left hand and a lighter touch in the right hand. To emulate this in a digital piano, the keys are often individually weighted, with the lower keys heavier than the higher ones — something that’s called graded weighting.

which is the actual explanation of why on acoustic pianos the lower keys must be heavier (you need more hammer energy to hit thicker strings and generate the same volume than you need for thinner ones).

With regards to which Nord model may us GH; I guess like you probably only NG and latest NPs may have that (but Nord does not indicate that explicitly in teh specs)

[Hlaalu]

the strings for each note are slightly thinner and shorter in the treble register, becoming thicker and longer towards the bass register. As a result, there is greater resistance when playing low notes than when playing high notes. In other words, a heavier touch is required in the left hand and a lighter touch in the right hand

which is the actual explanation of why on acoustic pianos the lower keys must be heavier (you need more hammer energy to hit thicker strings and generate the same volume than you need for thinner ones).

I guess it makes the most sense as you say, even though the sentence from the quote itself is worded in a way that could indicate either cause or consequence.

More generally, it would be interesting to find out, historically, whether the "strength" of the action of a piano is in any degree desired and intended by the manufacturer and/or players solely for the purpose of playing "ergonomic feedback", or it's always 100% a byproduct of the mechanical way pianos work.

In other words, nowadays pianists wouldn't want the keys to be as soft as a toy synth's, not even if this were possible from a manufacturing stand point. But I wonder whether that was the case from the beginning of the history of the piano. I guess it's a bit of a chicken or egg first kind of thing.

Anyway, it's strange that this feature isn't much advertised by manufacturers (apart from Yamaha, apparently), given that (I'd assume) it would be a seller point for people interested in accurate piano action.

[maxpiano]

Actually most Digital Piano manufacturer advertise that their actions are graded (or "scaled" or "progressive") hammer actions, when it is the case; look at specs for Roland, Casio and Kawai DPs for example, you'll find it in most cases.