Technical Tuesdays - Hammer Assembly, Part 2

Today's all important question:  When is it not cool to be "Feeling Groovy" ?

Answer:  When you're a piano hammer.

Remember the pictures of the piano hammers in Part 1?  Nicely smooth, densely packed wool fibers in a pleasing oval shape; the piano hammer head is a vital contributor to the voice of each and every piano no matter if the piano is old or new.

When a piano is played,  as each key is depressed the corresponding hammer strikes the string.  The physical impact of this action begins to compact the fibers of the hammer head from Day 1, wear away the material and eventually grooves begin to form.  The pictures below show how piano hammers can change with wear:

Deeply grooved hammers, viewed from a bird's eye perspective.

Deeply grooved hammers, viewed head on. 

Because these changes happen ever so slowly over a long period of time, often folks don't even realize their piano's tone has changed.

The next time your piano is tuned, ask your technician to check the condition of your piano's hammers.  Your piano may not be giving you all the rich, beautiful tone it is capable of.

"The Disclaimer" - Technical Tuesdays are intended to give folks who are curious about pianos a bit more understanding of all those technical terms thrown about by piano technicians.  This is not intended for super in depth technical analysis, nor micro measurements; just general knowledge for those who are interested in how a piano works.