Dictionary

keybed en · NOUN

Etymology

From key + bed.

Meanings

1. The support structure of the key of a piano or other keyboard instrument upon which the key rests when fully depressed.
   • On keyboard instruments, the rail which serves to stop the downward movement of the key. All keyboards have a keybed of some type. It’s essential that the rail be as close to perfectly straight as possible to ensure the travel of each key is consistent. On traditional acoustic pianos the keybed is almost always made of a solid or multiple-ply hardwood. It includes a bumper, usually a thick felt material, to eliminate the “thump” when the key reaches the bottom of its travel. 2005 March 17, Sweetwater, “Keybed”, in InSync:
   • [T]he pressure required on the keybed to hold a note down is not necessarily more than will suffice to sound the note at its softest . . . 1932, Tobias Matthay, “Section XI”, in The visible and invisible in pianoforte technique, 1964 edition, Oxford University Press, page 88:
2. The sturdy, flat structure of the cabinet of a piano or other keyboard instrument upon which rests the keyframe, holding all of the keys of the instrument.
   • The keybed is heavily constructed to remain flat when exposed to humidity and temperature changes. . . . Upon the keybed is positioned the assembly which holds the keys and action in place; this is called the key frame. 1976, Arthur A. Reblitz, chapter II, in Piano servicing, tuning, rebuilding: For the professional, the student, the hobbyist, 1976 edition, Vestal Press, page 17:
3. The entire assembly consisting of the keys and action of a digital or electronic piano - particularly used for digital and electronic instruments in which most parts of the action are located underneath they key itself, and for which the keys, action, keystops, associated electronics, and other related parts are a single integrated assembly.
   • In recent years the term “keybed” has been used to describe the entire [electronic/digital] piano action – the keys, weights, etc. – as opposed to just the rail. 2005 March 17, Sweetwater, “Keybed”, in InSync:

Forms

Deriveds

keybedding