The ‘felt piano’ is a colloquial term for the effect produced by dampening the sound of the instrument’s strings. Producing a softer and more intimate sound than the traditional modern piano, the felt piano has a rich history of being utilized by the greats of the Classical era, as well as enjoying an eclectic resurgence across genres in the 21st Century. We’ve compiled a list of landmark felt piano pieces to listen to that should inspire your own compositions with Spindle, our free felt piano. 

There are several methods of achieving the soft piano sound that all are generally grouped under the umbrella of ‘felt piano’. These vary from utilizing pedal techniques and modifications, to applying acoustic treatments, as well as the creation of synthetic piano instrument packs that can replicate this timbre. Each interpretation has its benefits and limitations, yet the sound’s versatility means it’s well suited for a wide range of styles.

Owing to the felt piano’s intimate timbre, the sound has been used extensively in drama across film and television in recent years. 

There's a lot of scope for creative experimentation using removable materials, as differing thickness of fabric or felt will produce a different quality and can be easily changed. The most conventional materials are felt and chamois leather, offering a simple way of producing the felt piano sound on a grand piano. 

Ólafur Arnalds has created notable soundtracks and themes that prominently feature the felt piano sound. Working with an alternative method of placing a sheet in front of the grand piano’s strings, Arnalds opts for utilizing a cut up t-shirt to achieve his trademark sound.

The variety of Arnalds’ compositions demonstrates the versatility of how the felted grand piano can be used, with his best-known pieces including the Broadchurch original soundtrack, and the theme music for the series Defending Jacob.

Dustin O’Halloran is another esteemed artist embracing the acoustic instrument in his work, as the composer keeps an upright in his studio specifically for recording felted piano. Bringing the sound into the mainstream, his composition of the Transparent television theme hints at French Romantic influences such as Claude Debussy’s 'Arabesque No. 1' while maintaining the edge of a modern-day homage.

The felt piano sound works as an independent solo instrument but is equally at home in an ensemble across diverse music genres. The artist Eskmo, also known as Brendan Angelides, incorporates an acoustic felt piano in his soundtracks, regularly using it as part of a much darker and more electronic ensemble. The instrument is a recurring feature in his work on the television series 13 Reasons Why.

Not only has the felt piano sound become a mainstream staple in sitting rooms and composer toolkits in the soundtrack world, it has also seen a phenomenal resurgence in the classical music community.

Favoring pedaling techniques and modifications to the grand piano via clever craftsmanship, the technique is referred to as the ‘sordino’. Sordino is an Italian term that is commonly used as a musical expression in classical notation that translates as ‘mute’. 

Popular in both Graf (Vienna) and Erard (Paris) grand pianos in the early 19th century, and well-used by composers including Beethoven and Schubert, the technique is achieved by using the middle pedal, or alternatively adding a fourth pedal. Its origins are traced back to the 18th century, when the sordino added a very thin layer or comb of leather or felt in front of the strings. Interestingly, this wasn't intended to dampen the sound, but to alter the tone to be sweeter and more ethereal.

The sordino died out through the piano’s many incarnations over the years, but has been brought back into common usage by the pianist Jura Margulis. Margulis has worked with Steingraeber & Söhne to incorporate a sordino pedal into their modern grand pianos.

Due to the numerous terms that encompass this sound, as well as confusion with the percussion celeste instrument, Margulis made a conscious decision to refer to his pedal work as ‘Sordino’. Crafting the new pedal to add a very thin layer of felt onto the instrument, Margulis expressed his excitement at the innovation, saying:

The felt piano in classical music allows us to reimagine performances in a fresh way, as well as hearing pieces exactly as they would have been created and played hundreds of years ago, adding a lost layer of expression to old favorites.

German pianist Martin Stadtfeld is a huge fan of the Steingraeber & Söhne concert grand piano, and released his CD Chopin+ in November 2016 on Sony Classical, which displays his frequent implementation of the sordino. 

In addition to the sordino pedal, the new pianos brought to life by Margulis and Steingraeber & Söhne pianos also include a ‘Mozart rail’. The Mozart rail was a feature of the Graf pianos, and is activated by a lever switch underneath the keyboard that can be reached with the knee. Its function works by lowering the keys, which has the knock-on effect of lowering the action, meaning that there's less distance in between the hammer and the strings—thus creating softness. Cyril Guillotin makes use of the Mozart rail in his interpretations of Chopin.

A versatile and emotional tone enables the felt piano to be perhaps even more widely used than the bright, modern-day instrument sound. With a presence in numerous genres and ensembles, it’s no surprise that the felt piano is also popular in jazz and experimental electronic music. 

Jazz artist Chilly Gonzales used the felt piano to create a vintage analog feel in his 2004 Solo Piano album, applying the celeste pedal technique to produce a hauntingly beautiful jazz LP. The compositions on the album were so popular that fellow Toronto native and rapper Drake sampled the entirety of Gonzales’ 'The Tourist' on his 2009 breakthrough mixtape So Far Gone.