ACTION  REGULATION

Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of a piano to compensate for the effects of wear; the compacting and settling of cloth, felt, and buckskin; and the dimensional changes in wood and wool parts due to changes in humidity.

If your instrument displays a lack of sensitivity or a decreased dynamic range, or if you notice that the keys are not level (some higher or lower than the rest), or if the touch is uneven, or the keys are sticking, the need for regulation is indicated.

No amount of practice can compensate for a poorly maintained action.  Poor legato touch, chord playing where all notes of the chord don’t speak clearly, a gradual loss of subtlety in phrasing, and an inability to execute quick passages or note repetitions evenly may be the fault of the piano — not the player.