What is regulation?

Most people only think of tuning when it comes to piano maintenance, but regulation is just as important. Regulation involves adjusting the moving parts within the piano action to ensure consistent touch and feel. Have you ever played and noticed that some notes feel different from others—one might be harder to press, while another lacks responsiveness or dynamic range? This is a sign that your piano may need a regulation.

Regulation involves fine-tuning each mechanism and adjusting their ratios to one another, ensuring that your piano plays with the proper balance of dynamics, repetition, and tonal quality. To put it another way, when playing an instrument, your somatic nervous system is being trained to sense the timing and force needed to perform a piece beautifully. If the touch and feel of the piano are inconsistent, it becomes difficult to develop muscle memory, and your playing may feel unpredictable or less controlled.

A well-regulated piano allows you to focus less on managing the physical aspects of playing—like uneven touch—and more on your artistic expression, including how you articulate passages and evoke emotion through your interpretation.

Ultimately, if you want to truly enhance your skills, don't hinder your progress by playing an instrument that stands in the way of your development. It may not be that there’s something wrong with your piano—it may just need action regulation. Every musician deserves to play an instrument that performs at its best, supporting rather than obstructing their growth.