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My acoustic piano at home is very loud. In addition, when I use the pedal, which is most of the times, I find it a bit harder to control the volume of the keys. I know how to play quietly, but what happens is that when I play with the pedal a piece with a pp tone it sounds like a p, when I play a mf it sounds like a f, and so on.

It has come to the point where my family has problem talking while I play the piano because they can't hear each other...

The piano is in the living room, which is quit big and has 15 feet high. my piano is YAMAHA U1. Is that piano sounds like that in general? Is that the room that meters? Is there any way to silence the piano and not effecting the sound quality too much? Notice that because the piano is in the living room it is not possible to hang on the wall any kind of acoustic sponges.

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    It would appear that the centre pedal on your piano is not a sostenuto but a muffler pedal. If so, it will lock down and place a curtain across the strings, which makes it much quieter than usual, especially for quiet practice.
    – Tim
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 11:35
  • Yes, it is so. However, I knew it already; I am not using the muffler pedal because it is uncomfortable to practice with, too quite and makes you get used to hitting the keys harder.
    – ido omer
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 12:39
  • The point of the middle pedal is that it keeps the dynamics at the same level, while quietening everything down. Hitting the keys harder defeats the object. Seems like you can't just play quietly! Get used to it - it's there to help, I'd understand if it was the 'quiet' pedal that you dislike using, as that puts the hammers closer to the strings, and the action is changed. That apart, put the piano against a wall, with a blanket draped over the top and back.
    – Tim
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 13:29
  • "the pedal" ...which pedal?
    – Michael Curtis
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 16:57
  • Does the piano have a practice mute?
    – Michael Curtis
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 17:11

2 Answers 2

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upright piano damper

This is what my piano technician installed on my upright. A layer of felt cloth can be lowered into position, between the hammers and the strings. In the left picture the felt is "off", on the right it is "on". If even more damping were required, the felt layer could be doubled, or replaced with a thicker one.

The damper can be turned on or off by acting on a lever that moves the metal bar up and down, using a metal wire mechanism similar to that of bicycle brakes. (See the end of the wire on the right side of the photo. The controlling lever is attached to the bottom of the keyboard, easy to reach but out of sight)

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You can put a big newspaper between the hammers and the strings. Your family members will be delighted and you will make music like John Cage!

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    As long as you have a stopwatch handy... Expanding foam is also very effective.
    – Tim
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 14:53

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