Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [keyboard-pedals]

For questions pertaining to the use and history of keyboard pedals, including but not limited to the sustain pedal, the sostenuto pedal, and the piano pedal. Please do not use the pedal tag.

A grand piano typically has 3 or 4 pedals, whereas an upright piano usually only 2 or 3.
An electronic keyboard can often have a digital pedal connected to it.

The most common types of pedal are:

  • sustain pedal / damper pedal (right)
  • una corda pedal / soft pedal (left)
  • sostenuto pedal / selective sustain pedal (middle)
  • sordino pedal / practice pedal

Other instruments such as the celesta, vibraphone, and tubular bells, may also have a pedal with similar function to the sustain pedal.

Question on the keyboard pedal: history, notation, usage, or technique, are on-topic with this tag.

96 questions
27
votes
9 answers

How to use Piano pedals without using the foot?

I have a piano and am disabled -- wheelchair kind of disabled: I can move my feet but not use the pedals. That task is kind of complicated. I've considered buying some kind of a car hand-control like this, but I'm not sure if it works, and if I want…
Lynob
  • 621
  • 2
  • 8
  • 17
25
votes
3 answers

With regards to piano sheet music, when are you supposed to press the pedal(s)?

I've been playing piano for about 8 months. I have a digital weighted 88-key piano with only one pedal. My friend, who used to play piano, taught me to hold the pedal down when there is an arc in either the treble or bass. So basically I'm holding…
Ryan
  • 957
  • 3
  • 10
  • 12
23
votes
3 answers

What do the pedals on grand pianos do?

I have been playing the piano for some time now, and have recently switched from the electric piano to the grand piano. My grand piano has three pedals. What does each of the three pedals do?
xilpex
  • 2,142
  • 20
  • 48
22
votes
3 answers

On the piano, how should you play staccato with the pedal?

In some pieces, there is a pedal designation along with staccato. How should this be played?
xpda
  • 1,082
  • 10
  • 13
18
votes
7 answers

How often is the Sostenuto pedal used in classical and modern Piano Music?

In most of the pianos that we see today, the Sostenuto pedal does not exist. Only the pianissimo (una corda) and the sustain (damper) pedals can be seen. Throughout the time that I've been studying music, I have never come across any place to use…
ViviRukisha
  • 705
  • 2
  • 7
  • 22
16
votes
3 answers

What does a straight line followed by a sharp point mean in a piano score when under notes?

I've attached a picture of the music sheet I am learning that has a music notation that I do not know and would like to get some help to understand what it means. The music notation is on the first measure, below the bass staff. It is a straight…
T. Nguyen
  • 215
  • 2
  • 6
15
votes
4 answers

On a piano, are the effects of holding notes and the sustain pedal the same for a single chord?

Building from this question, I learned that it is possible to notate a tie that is held by the pedal and not the hands. To me that's a bit strange - if the pedal were not held down in that passage, the effect would be different because the right…
Michael Stachowsky
  • 1,641
  • 1
  • 15
  • 25
14
votes
9 answers

Is it important to have three pedals on a digital piano?

My son (7 y/o) is learning piano. Currently, he is using my crappy keyboard I bought over 20 years ago. I am looking at buying him a digital piano with proper key weightings and key velocity (something my keyboard lacks). My question is: do I need…
dave
  • 241
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
12
votes
2 answers

What is this piano pedaling symbol?

In the score of Enescu's 3rd piano suite (Op. 18), there are circles next to usual pedal symbols ('Ped.' and 'release' symbols). What do they mean? This is an example from the end of the 6th movement:
Karlo
  • 1,299
  • 11
  • 20
11
votes
3 answers

Is there any repertoire that makes explicit use of the Sostenuto pedal?

Often when I've used the sostenuto pedal (in fact, whenever I've used it thus far) it's as a "helping hand" to sustain various notes individually that would be much more difficult to hold otherwise. However, just for curiosity's sake I've yet to…
berry120
  • 1,473
  • 13
  • 13
11
votes
2 answers

What is the most common highest key with a damper?

On my old Steinway, the lowest key that doesn’t have a damper is the second-highest E. On a Bösendorfer I got to play recently, I noticed that the highest key without one was (I believe) the second-highest G. What note most commonly is the highest…
Stormblessed
  • 440
  • 4
  • 14
11
votes
2 answers

Piano Pedal Notation P, Pw, with and without *

I'm transcribing a piano reduction of Suppé's Light Cavalry into MuseScore. This particular score has pedal notation P. *, Pw. *, and then some parts where there's no *. I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that when the * is absent, it means to…
Nevin Williams
  • 606
  • 5
  • 17
11
votes
3 answers

Is there a name or common usage of this piano damper pedal effect?

I've noticed an effect that I use when playing acoustic piano. Play a note or chord staccato, and quite quickly after playing it, press the damper pedal. The effect is rather like an echo which continues until the pedal is released. It's not the…
Tim
  • 183,051
  • 16
  • 181
  • 444
11
votes
2 answers

What is proper pedal posture?

I'd like to learn a song that requires extensive use of the middle pedal, but I have no experience using it. I think I'll just practice until it comes naturally, but I'd like to make sure I'm not getting into any bad habits. Is there a specific…
The Nuckster
  • 563
  • 3
  • 11
10
votes
4 answers

Should pedals be used when playing Classical-era piano music?

I recently did some reading on the historical evolution of the piano. From my understanding, classical-era pianos did not have foot pedals. By classical-era I refer to the narrower meaning of Classical. I had been playing classical music for…
Jacob
  • 275
  • 2
  • 9
1
2 3 4 5 6 7