Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum "Quiet Keys" -- anyone familiar?

Timely thread...our RPT just installed the Quiet Keys system into our upright piano last week.

The system works very well. The tone is "muted" across the entire keyboard...that is, notes sound much "softer" with less "attack" (less brilliance) and a major decrease in overall volume. However, the muting effect is significantly less pronounced on the lower-bass notes (approx. the lowest two octaves) - the attack on these notes is just a bit less than normal, and their volume is only slightly quieter.

Also, when using the system the FEEL of the entire keyboard is very slightly altered, which may impact your overall performance and expression when practicing certain pieces. For some pianos this may not be very apparent, but for a piano with a very sensitive touch (our piano has the Fandrich Vertical Action) it is there. But for rudimentary practice sessions (scales, fingering exercises, etc.) this is really a non-issue.

FWIW, the Quiet Keys system sounds much better to my ears than the built-in practice pedal system on a Schulze Pollmann upright I tried recently (a very fine piano, BTW), which had some odd sonic artifacts due to the felt curtain touching the strings. In contrast, with the Quiet Keys system in our piano every note rings true without any strange felt-to-string effects.

Hope this helps!

No digital piano I have ever played suits my need for organic sound vibrations.

No way. He can't stand anything in his ears.

If your husband doesn't want anything in his ears, then get him some noise-cancelling headphones for Christmas. Bose makes great ones, but they are pricey, and you can get a good set at almost any price range.
Simple ear protectors would do a lot too; they dont press against the ear, they just surround it, so its very comfortable (the same design as pilot headsets basically, and pilots will wear those for half a day).

Also, how well tuned is your piano? Mine has fallen well out of tune since being moved, and I give myself a headache if I play for more than 45 minutes without a break. I'm certain that it's due to the tune, because I have never had this problem with the keyboard.

Finally, if the piano is in a separate room, you can buy some soundproofing material for that room without spending a fortune. It wont be perfect, but it may help a bit.