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Piano Keys: Are Ivory Key Tops Better?

There was a time when all pianos had ivory key tops.

By the middle of the 20th century, the use of plastic key tops began to replace ivory keys in a massive way. Laws protecting elephants made ivory keys really rare in pianos built after the early 1970's.

No pianos have ivory keys.

The keys of all pianos are made out of wood. It is only the thin top of the white keys which are made of ivory or plastic. The black keys are made of ebony.

Having said that, most Asian production pianos have plastic black keys. In this case, the whole key is made out of plastic and is hollow on the inside.

Growing up, my father had 2 grand pianos in his studio, an old Steinway with ivories, and a newer Baldwin with plastic key tops. I discovered the ivory to be slippery and the plastic provided a much better grip on the keys.

Nonetheless, when I would perform in student recitals, it was fairly the reverse. With a bit of nerves, the sweat in my hands made the plastic key tops slippery and the grip on the ivory significantly greater.

Ivory key tops are porous.

So cleaning is much more tough than cleaning plastic key tops which can be cleaned with a high concentration rubbing alcohol; 90% or higher works ideal. You can use a soft cloth, paper towel, or cotton swabs made damp with the alcohol. Rub all the keys, black and white and you will be amazed at how much dirt comes off the keys. The high concentration of alcohol assures that the moisture will not compromise the integrity of the wooden keys. Ivory keys present a higher challenge. Even though cleaning with alcohol as above will work, in time it can dry out the ivory and trigger warping.

So it is greatest to use a slightly damp cloth with only water and use alcohol only when needed to remove persistent stains.

Ivory keys also will yellow in time.

You can aid them keep white by not closing the fall board. Although it is important to close the lid of the piano when not in use to keep away from corrosion of the strings, the fall board only protects dust from settling on the keys which can be wiped off very easily. If ivory key tops get too dirty or yellow, they can be polished and bleached. If a couple of are chipped or missing, some piano technicians have a significant stock of replacements. This is no uncomplicated task since matching the exact size, color and texture of ivories is very challenging. Replacing key tops altogether with modern composite plastic key tops is not extremely costly, 2 or 3 hundred dollars. Typically when performing this it is a very good time to replace key bushings and front rail bushings which wear out.

That can add an additional couple of hundred dollars.

So the question is:
which is better, ivory or plastic key tops?

I have run into quite a few people who have a strong preference for 1 or the other. Numerous men and women prefer the mystique of real ivories on a beautifully restored vintage piano. Other individuals are horrified by the sacrifice of the animals to produce the ivory. Overall I would suggest if you have a piano with usable ivories, maintain them in excellent shape as lengthy as you can since they are nearly irreplaceable. A set of ivories can be procured but a set costs thousands of dollars. Keep in mind however that if you went out and bought a brand new Steinway grand piano, it would have plastic key tops. Functionally they are extremely close. Maybe the texture of a excellent set of ivories gives a superior grip particularly with sweaty hands. Otherwise it is not 1 of the more essential considerations for a piano's quality.

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 10:35 pm and is filed under bedding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.