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How to Fix Stuck Piano Keys

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If your keys are stuck...

Having a grand piano in one of the rooms of your house is great - not only can you practice on it, but you can use it to entertain guests. But if a few of the keys on your piano are stuck, it takes away from the whole "piano-as-decor" theory. It can also be frustrating every time you try to hit that natural G. But every time you try to fix it, you don't seem to get anywhere.

Causes of Stuck Keys

There are a number of reasons a key might get stuck. The first - and most obvious - is dirt and debris getting into the cracks between each ivory key, essentially sticking two keys together. In order to clean between the keys, you'll need something that can get in between them. Because something sharp can scratch your piano, you might want to use a liquid. Water and a few drops of dish soap can often handle the job; just make sure that you don't go overboard with the liquids.

You'll also want to watch for swelling in the piano. Since most pianos are made of wood, one cause of a stuck key might actually be that wood underneath has swollen. Even if you're not sure how this came about, you might want to get inside to see if this really is the case.

Fixing Stuck Keys

To begin fixing a stuck key, look around the area of the key in order to ensure a proper diagnosis. Is there debris in the way? Might there be wood swelling? Does the problem go deeper than that? The problem will drive the kind of repairs you need to make.

Sometimes, the fix is as easy as cleaning out the cracks in the method already described. But if there seems to be something deeper in the piano, you'll probably have to remove the keys. For some people, looking under the keys can be an awakening of sorts, similar to the mess you might find under your couch after a few months.

The best way to make sure keys aren't stuck is prevention. Keep your house dry and regularly dust your piano. You won't have to clean it much if you don't bring drinks or food nearby, but if you absolutely must, then be sure to be careful not to spill.

Remember the essential rule of fixing anything: to fix something, you need to get down to the level of the problem, possibly doing some destroying in the process. If you need to take somthing apart in order to build it back up, that can often be better than simply replacing the unit as a whole.

Photo Credits: melinnis

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