Guide
What makes piano music soft?
A short, practical look at why some piano sounds gentle and some doesn’t, and how the pieces on this site were picked.
1. It starts with felt
A piano is a box of strings hit by small hammers covered in pressed wool felt. Hard, worn felt gives a bright, clicky note; soft felt and a slow touch give a round one. Most of what we hear as a “soft piano” sound is simply a light touch on good felt.
2. The soft pedal (una corda)
On a grand piano the left pedal shifts the whole action sideways so each hammer strikes fewer strings. On an upright it moves the hammers closer to the strings so they travel less. Either way the note gets quieter and a little duller.
3. The felt piano sound
Some upright pianos have a middle pedal that lowers a strip of felt between hammers and strings. It is meant for quiet practice, but its muffled, close-up sound became a style of its own: the “felt piano” you hear in a lot of modern calm music.
4. Quiet music, not quiet volume
Turning a loud piece down doesn’t make it soft. Soft piano music is soft by nature: few sudden accents, slow chords, a steady level and notes that fade rather than snap. That is what the felt grades on this site measure.
How the felt grades work
Every Purrple Cat track where the piano leads was measured for four things: overall level, how sharp the note attacks are, how bright the tone is, and how often the volume jumps. Combined, they give each piece a softness score. The gentlest third is Softest, the middle third Softer, the rest Soft. Tracks with vocals and the Halloween records are left out.
Which felt for which moment
| If… | Try | Length |
|---|---|---|
| You want the very gentlest piano | Una Corda | 34 min |
| Bright sounds feel too sharp today | Moderator | 34 min |
| It’s daytime and you want soft, not sleepy | Morning Wool | 33 min |
| You want space and slow movement | Blue Felt | 35 min |
| You want warm and cosy | Lambswool | 34 min |
| You want soft piano for hours | The Whole Bolt | 5 h 14 min |
Listening tips
Keep the volume low enough that you could talk over it. Speakers across the room sound softer than earbuds. And if a piece pulls your attention, pick a softer felt: the player will skip anything above it.
