What is a Drop-Action on a Piano?
When exploring the world of pianos, you'll likely encounter a variety of terms related to their mechanics and design. One such term is the drop-action, a type of piano action that is often found in smaller upright pianos or compact models like studio pianos. These were common in the UK with a few manufacturers innovating to produce these smaller instruments to fit changes to homes and piano requirements.
Understanding what a drop-action is and how it compares to the traditional upright piano action can help you make an informed choice if you’re in the market for a piano or simply
What is Piano Action?
First, let’s break down what piano action means. In any piano, the action refers to the complex system of levers, hammers, and dampers that respond to the pressing of a key. When you press a key, the action mechanism translates that motion into a hammer striking a string, producing sound. The design of the action plays a crucial role in the responsiveness, touch, and overall sound quality of a piano.
What is a Drop-Action in a piano?
A drop-action, also known as an indirect blow action, is a specific design used in some upright pianos, especially those with a smaller or more compact form factor. The defining characteristic of a drop-action is that the mechanism features a secondary lever (or "sticker") to transmit motion from the key to the hammer.
Here’s how it works:
- When you press a key, instead of the motion directly driving the hammer mechanism (as in a standard upright piano), the motion is first transmitted to a lever.
- This lever redirects the force to move the hammer upward to strike the string.
The name "drop-action" comes from the way these intermediate levers are positioned below the hammers, creating a "drop" in the layout compared to the traditional upright action.
Why did piano manufacturers use Drop-Actions?
Drop-action designs were primarily used in compact upright pianos, such as spinet or small studio pianos, where space is limited and were common around the 1950’s and 1960’s when there were new designs looking to reduce the size of the piano to bring it to more homes.
The main benefits of drop-action include:
- Space Efficiency: Allows the piano to have a shorter overall height, making it ideal for smaller spaces.
- Cost Effectiveness: Often less expensive to manufacture than a full-size upright action, reducing the cost of the piano.
However, these advantages come with a number of trade-offs in performance and maintenance which is why they fell out of favour relatively quickly and haven’t been used since especially since the advent of electronic or digital instruments from the late 1970’s into the 1980’s.
How Does a Drop-Action Differ from a Normal Upright Piano Action?
The normal upright piano action, sometimes called a direct blow action, involves a more straightforward mechanism:
- When you press a key, the motion is directly transmitted to the hammer via a jack and wippen assembly, which drives the hammer to strike the string.
This direct mechanism is generally considered superior for several reasons:
- Responsiveness: The absence of intermediate levers allows for a more precise touch and quicker repetition of notes.
- Durability: Fewer moving parts mean there’s less likelihood of wear and tear over time.
- Tone Control: Musicians often find it easier to control dynamics and tone quality with a direct blow action.
In contrast, the drop-action’s additional layer of levers can introduce slight delays or inefficiencies, making it less responsive than the direct blow action. Generally drop-action pianos are smaller so have a shorter string-length meaning they don’t have the tonal quality of taller instruments. It may also require more frequent maintenance, as the extra moving parts can wear out or become misaligned over time and many technicians may charge more to work on them because of the extra maintenance or some may refuse to work on them at all.
Should I buy a Drop-Action piano?
I would be very surprised if you could find any drop-action pianos available from reputable dealers. There are many better alternatives available today either in more affordable traditional uprights or even digital instruments without the compromises of a drop-action. However as something just to play around with for minimal cost they can be fine as long as you understand the compromises.
You may find it difficult to get technicians to tune these instruments or may end up paying more to do so you should consider this even when considering these as a free piano.
Conclusion
The drop-action is an ingenious solution to the challenges of building compact pianos from the era, but it does come with compromises in both performance and maintenance. Traditional upright piano actions, with their direct mechanism, remain the gold standard for most players due to their superior touch and reliability and as technology has evolved in digital instruments they are now considered obsolete and not desirable.