They are all important. One factor, however, brings them all together in an instrument that transcends its mechanical soul to become a true work of art. They built their pianos one at a time, applying skills that were handed down from master to apprentice, generation after generation. We still build our pianos that way. Each Steinway grand piano, for example, takes nearly a year to create.
Nothing is hurried.
Even the carefully selected woods employed in the rims, tops, soundboards, and actions cure for months in our yard, kilns and conditioning rooms, until they stabilize at a rigidly specified moisture content. From Instrument to Steinway Steinway craftsmen transform those woods into components ranging from massive to delicate. On the other hand, the finest acoustic-quality spruce is fashioned into the delicate curve of our Diaphragmatic soundboard which tapers gently from 8mm at the center to 5mm at the edge, assuring the full, rich Steinway sound. However, it is not a Steinway until voicing gives it the special quality that makes it unique. Here, every subtle nuance is drawn out by balancing and adjusting the keys and shaping, hardening or softening each hammer.