So common that I remove several every week, pencils falling into grand piano actions can wreak havoc depending on where they end up, and will cause clicking and clacking at best.
The following two videos are just from today!
It’s not just pencils, I have removed paper clips, ping pong balls, Barbie accessories, legos, remote controls, and a whole host of other objects from grand piano actions. Upright pianos can also become home to foreign objects, though most commonly they harbor photos, postcards, and coins.
Pencils though, pencils make up the vast majority of things I remove from piano actions. Guess who the greatest offenders of this are?
Piano teachers!
It makes sense though, as teachers are frequently making notations and remarks on sheet music and then *bloop* – “Where did my pencil go?!”
How does this even happen you may ask…
And there you have it. It’s a little too easy to lose a pencil this way, I fully admit the design is lacking. At one home, I removed over a dozen hot wheels because the child had discovered what a fun ramp the fallboard (key cover) makes, plus the added mystery of the disappearance of the car was just too much to pass up.
What should you do if you know you’ve lost a pencil (or other object) into the piano action cavity? On most modern grand pianos, the fallboard simply lifts straight up and out, this is a procedure you can do yourself, just be careful not to scratch anything. On older pianos, and some modern ones, it’s a little more difficult to get to. On Steinways, don’t even try it – it takes a human with 3 arms to do it properly.
If you are nervous about doing the removal yourself, or if the fallboard doesn’t want to cooperate, call your piano technician! Most techs will charge a minimum service call fee, and it will only take a few minutes, but the money spent could be far less than the costly damage done by leaving your favorite pencil there to bounce around.
I will leave you with an example of a pencil that I removed two days ago, which made a terrible sound, but was in about the least potentially damaging spot possible.
Until next time, hold onto your pencils!
-Joe from Burd & Sons Piano Service