Why Do My Piano Keys Stick?

There are a few reasons as to why piano keys stick to one another or to the base of the piano. Below are five explanations:

Objects Get Under The Keys
Sometimes food, coins or other small objects get caught between the keys. This might happen if a child is playing around the piano or the person practicing takes a quick break and eat something, causing a piece of that food to fall.

Objects Get Stuck Under The Keys

Debris of various kinds may end up under the keys, causing them to stick. Here are the steps to take to check underneath them:

1. Remove the following: the lid, music shelf, the fall board and the fall strip. Make sure to use a screwdriver to do all of this.
2. Look at the top and bottom of the key to see if anything is there.
3. Hold the back of the key with one hand and use the other to lift the front end.
4. Shake the entire key gently and then place everything back in its original position.

Keys Are Swollen

The keys of a piano are made out of wood and can swell if the humidity is not regulated. Press two keys that are adjacent and use a flat head screwdriver to gently separate them.

Keys Are Bound By Key Slip

Directly below the keys is the key slip. It is the long stretch of wood that encases them. This part of the piano may swell because of humidity or the player may lean forward, pressing it against the keys.

One way to resolve this is to grab the key slip and pull it forward. Another method to try is to use a screwdriver to loosen the screws underneath the key bed and place a piece of cardboard (or a business card) between the key slip and the end blocks.

Missing/Loose Screw

Sometimes screws and bolts get loose and loose tension causing the action in the hammers to become sluggish and sometimes non-responsive. An easy fix is to have a our piano technicians come out to service the piano, extract the piano action and address the problem.