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Felt Piano: A Softer Piano Sound

  • The term “felt piano” refers to a very soft piano sound. This is achieved by a damping mechanism that places a felt rail between the hammers and the piano strings.
  • Originally intended as a practice aid, many have discovered the practice pedal as an additional sound setting, especially in the neoclassical genre.
  • Conventional digital pianos do not take this particular sound into account. However, some recommended piano VSTs and libraries do a good job reproducing a felt piano’s sound.
Felt Piano - A Softer Piano Sound
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The term “felt piano” is closely associated with the popularity of the neoclassical genre, where this very soft sound has almost become a trademark. The sound and its poetic quality are actually a by-product of the practice or celeste pedal. Many musicians have discovered the felt piano sound, most famously Chilly Gonzales and Nils Frahm.

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Usually an Upright

The practice pedal is mainly found on upright pianos, which may be the reason why you mainly hear the felt piano sound on an acoustic piano. In addition, only a piano that is as old as possible can truly fulfill the cliché of the charming and slightly off-key piano sound.

The Felt Piano Sound

The sound can be addictive – if you listen to Chilly Gonzales’ first solo piano album, you will discover how beautifully poetic and intimate it sounds (we recommend the tracks: Dot and The Tourist). Since Chilly Gonzales recorded the album in 2004, there have been countless other examples of recordings with a felt piano sound.

A great example is the piece Tori by Tom Blankenberg, performed live at THE POOL, Duesseldorf at the Piano Day Festival 2023.

Tom Blankenberg: Tori

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The Best Felt Piano VST?

In our tutorial video, we discuss different piano VSTs as well as their special features and characteristics. In addition, we play felt piano sounds on the Nord Piano 5 and Yamaha CP73 stage pianos.

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A Felt Grand Piano?

Of course, it’s possible, although felt damping is rather rare in grand pianos: The Sordino pedal of the Steingraeber E272 grand piano is well known for it, and the physical modeling software Pianoteq also takes this virtual model into account.

Moreover, Nils Frahm’s studio grand piano was transformed into a custom felt piano. Thanks to sampling by Galaxy Instruments, this Steinway grand piano is now available as a piano expansion for Native Instruments’ Kontakt library. You’ll find it under the name “Noire”. Playing with the sampled sound is very practical, of course, because who has such a fantastic grand piano, a piano technician, and a recording studio to match?

Modartt Pianoteq and Felt Piano

Until now you had to use some tricks to get this soft piano sound with Pianoteq. Starting with version 7.4, the world’s best physical modeling piano software now includes felt models. All available acoustic piano models have been reworked accordingly, and you will find two felt piano versions in the preset list of the respective piano. The 7.4 update is free for all users of the (paid) version 7.

(Sadly) Rare on Digital Pianos?

Digital piano manufacturers largely ignore the soft piano sound. However, many home pianists would like to be able to play pieces by Nils Frahm or Chilly Gonzales with an authentic sound.

Thankfully, Nord and Yamaha offer a very nice felt piano sound for their stage pianos. The Nord Piano Library has recently been expanded, and it is also a free option on Yamaha’s CP88 and CP73 stage piano models.

Play Along with Felt Piano Music

Finding sheet music should not be a problem. We can recommend the sheet music books by Chilly Gonzales, and Nils Frahm also publishes sheet music books through Leiter.

Find out more at www.chillygonzales.com.

Chilly Gonzales has also released his solo piano albums as sheet music. The compositions are lovingly detailed and play perfectly natural with a felt piano sound. (Image Source: chillygonzales.com)
Chilly Gonzales has also released his solo piano albums as sheet music. The compositions are lovingly detailed and play perfectly natural with a felt piano sound. (Image Source: chillygonzales.com)

What’s So Special About the Felt Piano Sound?

Playing an acoustic piano with a practice pedal allows you to discover new ways of expressing yourself. This experience can be very unique depending on the piano. After all, felt damping makes the sound behave very differently – it almost completely robs the piano sound of its brilliance.

Practice Pedal - Damping the Hammers with a Felt Rail
The practice pedal places a felt rail between the hammers and the strings, creating a very soft touch.

Naturally, you have to hit the keys harder to get a tone with contour. But if you look at the other side, a whole new range of sounds opens up between pianissimo and mezzo-forte. The attacks sound a bit diffuse, especially in the treble, while the basses are dull and flat.

Mechanical Noise as a Stylistic Device

You may not notice it until later, but because the damper rail makes the piano sound much quieter, you can hear the piano’s mechanical sounds more clearly. They become even more pronounced when you open the top lid of the piano or even remove the front of the case completely. Now you can clearly hear the hammer action.

This detail has a great influence on the felt piano sound. A click here, a scratch there, and sometimes a squeak from the pedal mechanism – these little noises really add to the charm of the sound. Even recordings include these background noises, giving the sound an overall sense of intimacy.

Comparing Felt Piano Sounds

The amount of damping, string vibration, case as well as string resonance, the amount of mechanical hammer, damper and pedal noise – of course, this is all very individual. Therefore, it’s really beneficial if a software instrument also allows you to adjust these details. Modartt Pianoteq probably offers the most freedom in this regard. Since it is a physical modeling instrument, you can truly delve into the subtleties of the sound. But in the end, it’s the character of the sound that counts. Click here to compare different instruments!

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Una Corda – The Felt Piano Par Excellence

Nils Frahm was also the one who made the Una Corda famous. Developed by piano manufacturer Klavins, this very special variant of the piano takes its name from its stringing: It has only one string per note, whereas a conventional piano has a chorus of 2-4 strings for each note (except for the basses).

The Una Corda can also be considered a felt piano, as the damping with a felt rail is part of the concept of the instrument. In addition, dampers are offered in various materials. And you can even experience these sound effects with the Kontakt instrument of the same name, also created by the Cologne-based sampling experts at Galaxy Instruments.

The Best Felt Piano Sounds

The appeal of a felt piano sound is, of course, the DIY aspect: Nothing beats the individual charm of your own piano. But if you don’t have an acoustic piano, you can still get this soft piano sound in digital form. While digital pianos or stage pianos can’t provide this kind of sound, there is a large and excellent selection of dedicated piano VSTs. Here is our list of the best:

Modartt Pianoteq Felt Pianos
Starting with version 7.4, Pianoteq offers the most extensive possibilities for soft and poetic piano sounds. All acoustic piano models are also available as felt versions.
Pianoteq Felt Pianos
Orchestral Tools Patina
If you want a regular upright piano, the “Living Room Piano” from the Berlin-based sampling experts is a good choice. The felt piano sounds are great. More info on the OT website.
Orchestral Tools Patina - Living Room Piano
Native Instruments Noire
A great felt piano sound with lots of depth and dimension.
Native Instruments Noire - Felt Piano
Native Instruments Una Corda
The most versatile and special felt piano. Also great for sound experiments and unusual piano sounds.
Felt Piano Una Corda
Spitfire Audio Felt Piano
Felt Piano, released as part of the Originals series, offers an affordable introduction to the world of soft piano sounds. The free light version, Soft Piano, gives you a taste of what’s to come.
Spitfire Audio Originals Felt Piano (Image Source: Spitfire Audio)
Fracture Sounds Woodchester Piano
Great upright sound with lots of atmosphere and expression.
Woodchester Piano - Felt Piano

Felt Piano Libraries at Pianobook

A rich source of free piano sounds is the website “Pianobook – Every Piano Tells a Story”. The project is the brainchild of Christian Henson, co-founder of Spitfire Audio. And Pianobook really lives up to the DIY spirit that is at the heart of the idea of the felt piano. The focus is on participation, as Pianobook allows you to upload your own sampling instruments and make them available to everyone. A large community has grown up around this, sharing a wide range of sounds. You can also find felt pianos here.

Sampling Expert Christian Henson Recording a Felt Piano Sound

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