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.

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6 votes
1 answer
551 views

Which two pedals to use for the marking "due pedale"?

In the piano piece "Rumänisches Charakterstück, Op.44" on page 8 there is the marking pp along with "due Pedale". Which two pedals out of the three available are meant to be used ...
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0 votes
1 answer
208 views

When should the sustain pedal be used in Debussy's Clair de Lune, given the fast tempo?

In recordings of Clair de Lune, I can hear that the sustain pedal is used almost throughout the entire piece, including in the middle part, which is played at a rather fast tempo. Since the sustain ...
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0 votes
0 answers
134 views

That middle pedal on piano

Given that the middle pedal, when there is a middle one, has a very different use on each side of the Atlantic - sustain on the left, practice on the right- and it features in some answers on this ...
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0 votes
2 answers
93 views

Why is there different Pedaling in different editions of Chopin's op 57?

In seeking the score for this piece, I came across 2 frequent editions: one that shows to use the pedal for half the bar, the other to use 2 bursts of pedal ...
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3 votes
2 answers
367 views

Do I need to explicitly cancel the damper pedal when switching to sostenuto?

I'm writing a piece where the beginning and end use the damper pedal only, and the middle uses sostenuto only. Currently these are notated with con ped. and con sost., but I wonder if that might ...
1 vote
2 answers
234 views

Bought a sustain pedal for my keyboard, notes don't fade out as fast as I expect when I raise the pedal. Deficiency of the pedal or of my playing?

I've been practicing with a keyboard for almost two years now. I bought my keyboard used and it came with a lower quality pedal that I didn't use much. The pedal eventually broke (always sustaining) ...
10 votes
2 answers
281 views

Unusual Pedal(?) Marking, Hungarian Dance No.5 Arr. Merle J Isaac

Not too sure what the markings from 77-81 and 83-87 are asking for, my instructor thought some sort of pedal marking but we weren’t really sure what it was specifically asking for, and we don’t have a ...
6 votes
1 answer
439 views

How to notate lack of pedal for a measure?

I'm writing a piano piece, for most of which I would like to use a blanket con pedale instead of marking pedals for each measure. However, at exactly one point, there are two nonconsecutive measures ...
5 votes
1 answer
527 views

What does the middle pedal on the piano do? [duplicate]

First off, I'm a bit surprised that nobody's asked this before. What does the middle pedal on a grand piano do? I've played around with it a bit, but haven't been able to figure it out. Could somebody ...
7 votes
2 answers
529 views

Pedal Notation with a cross or plus sign — is it supposed to be an asterisk?

Can someone help me with this unusual notation for pedal usage. It has P and +P does the +P mean pedal release? See attached photo please. The image is from the first measure Siloti's arrangement of ...
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6 votes
2 answers
314 views

what piano pedal technique is being used here and does it have a conventional name/notation?

characterized by loud kinda unnatural sounding "stab" followed immediately by a softer sustain. my working theory is that it involves playing a chord staccato then pressing the sustain pedal ...
1 vote
1 answer
218 views

Using the Damper Pedal while playing La Campanella [closed]

I can play a little over half of La Campanella (by Liszt) on the piano using the Sostenuto Pedal. I'm using the Sostenuto Pedal because it makes the trills, and the piece in general much easier to ...
6 votes
1 answer
185 views

Ableton Push Start/Stop with a Sustain Pedal

MacBook Pro (Big Sur 11.5.2) Ableton Intro Ableton Push 2 OnStage KSP20 (the sustain pedal) Is there a way to get an Ableton Push 2 to play/stop via a foot pedal? My sister has a gig in a few days and ...
3 votes
4 answers
746 views

Sustain Pedal connecting Slurs

In this simplified Chopin's Prelude Op. 28 No. 20, the sustain pedal connects notes belonging to two separate slurs in the first and second measures. Should the sustain pedal be left off for a moment ...
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8 votes
1 answer
413 views

LilyPond: auto horizontal space for piano pedal

Is it possible to tell LilyPond to automatically add extra space for piano pedal symbols, so they don't overlap? If not, how to add the space manually? Here is what I am trying to achieve: This is ...
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5 votes
1 answer
350 views

When piano pedalling seems to conflict with the original score

This is from Burgmüller's "Harmony of the Angels", Op. 100 No. 21, edited by Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield. I'm wondering about the difference between the green and red blocks. Doesn't the ...
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2 votes
2 answers
188 views

Alkan Prelude in A-flat minor Op 31 No 8 - how properly use sostenuto pedal in this piece?

Link to the score This is the first piece I've attempted that calls for sostenuto pedal rather than sustain pedal throughout (assuming I'm interpreting the notation correctly). Other than sempre Ped. ...
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4 votes
6 answers
2k views

Reduce pedal noise when recording

When recording my upright piano with a zoom recorder and a dynamic microphone, I find that the noise from the sustain pedal is quite noticeable. I usually don't think of it while playing. Is there a ...
3 votes
4 answers
267 views

When do you end a pedal sustain on a row change?

I am learning the proper way to notate a pedal sustain in music notation, but am not sure about how to mark a transition from one line of music to another. In this hypothetical only example ... ... ...
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5 votes
4 answers
3k views

The proper way to mark sustain pedal for MuseScore playback and live performer?

Thanks in advance for your help here. I am very new to music theory and notation. As such, I may struggle with your reply if it has a lot of musical vocab. I'm using a great free music notation ...
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3 votes
3 answers
267 views

Exact timing of piano pedal re-engagement

In this example, do I release pedal BEFORE beat 1 of the second measure, or ON beat 1 of the second measure?
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3 votes
1 answer
124 views

Can a stustain pedal be modified for alternative uses?

Is it possible to modify a MIDI sustain pedal to for example, a guitar pedal? If so, would this be practical at all? If not, what could be an alternative use of such pedal?
4 votes
2 answers
233 views

Uneven sustain in upright piano

I have a upright piano and its sustain pedal did not work for a long time (you have to press very hard to get a bit of sustain), and the cause is found to be three loose screws that fix the pedal in ...
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3 votes
0 answers
113 views

Choosing instrument played by midi pedalboard connected to keyboard

I got a 30 note pedalboard (with a 5-pin midi connector) that I want to use with my two keyboards (Yamaha P-155 and Kaway CA13) to play simultaneously on all three. The problem is that when I connect ...
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2 votes
2 answers
299 views

Pedaling in Chopin Nocturne in C# minor, measures 9-18

What is the pedaling going to be for the rest of the below sheet? Is it going to be like measure 8, or it is going to be like measures 1-7? Sometimes it shows the pedal sign like in measure 16, which ...
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4 votes
2 answers
626 views

What does this pedal notation mean for the piano?

I've never seen this pedal notation used before and would appreciate it if someone could help me understand what it means?
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

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 ...
2 votes
2 answers
3k views

How do I turn on sustain on Casio CT-X9000IN keyboard without a sustain pedal?

Casio CT-X5000 has sustain button but CT-X9000IN does not though both are same keyboard. So how do I turn on sustain on CT-X9000IN without a sustain pedal?
4 votes
1 answer
166 views

How do you learn pedals?

I'd like to learn Prokofiev's "Montagues and Capulets", but the bass needs some pretty advanced pedaling, and I have not experience with that. I know what the pedals do, but I'm no good at ...
4 votes
2 answers
112 views

"il basso una corda" (in Nevin's Narcissus)

This passage from Ethelbert Nevin's Narcissus for piano has the instruction "il basso una corda". I think this is the 1891 Schirmer edition; the passage shown is bars 16-18. What does the ...
4 votes
0 answers
139 views

Computer doesn't receive proper sustain pedal MIDI signals from digital piano? [closed]

When I connect my piano to my computer and press the sustain pedal, it just plays a C note. (Garageband, and Musescore.) I have an Arius YDP-161 digital piano and a MIDI to USB converter. I use a ...
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3 votes
1 answer
181 views

Pedaling in Prokofiev's "Montagues and Capulets"

I was trying to learn "Montagues and Capulets" and I saw this video of someone playing it. Whats she doing with the base? I think she must be using the pedals, but I ...
6 votes
3 answers
787 views

Piano pedaling notation

I have been playing piano for several years, but I never got a particular lesson on pedaling. I know the basics: for most romantic pieces, the point is to clean the pedal (with "clean", I ...
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1 vote
1 answer
265 views

Grand Piano Cracked Soft Pedal, Possible Missing Parts for Soft and Sustain Pedals

I have a 1912 Symphonic baby grand piano and I noticed two problems. This question is a two-parter: I noticed at the top of the beam for the soft pedal, the wooden piece is cracked. We thought of zip-...
7 votes
2 answers
298 views

What do shorter-than-thirty-two-note MIDI pedalboards bar you from playing?

There have been questions before about what utility can be derived from a two-octave keyboard in terms of learning any keyboard idioms. Well, two five-octave MIDI controllers and a volume pedal seem ...
1 vote
3 answers
305 views

Trouble with piano pedal notation

I'm trying to play this piece, there's no sign to use the sustain pedal in the sheet music, but when I play it and compare it to the original track, I feel that the sustain pedal should be used. I am ...
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0 votes
3 answers
299 views

Yamaha digital piano pedal connector

I know nothing about piano but recently got one (Yamaha PF1500). It came with a stand with two pedal. According to the owner's manual, the sustain and soft pedals are connected to the left and right ...
11 votes
2 answers
326 views

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-...
4 votes
2 answers
971 views

Meaning of the words "Recitativo" and "tutte le corde" in music?

I am trying to understand Romantic music. I came across this extract from Beethoven's Piano Sonata op.110 from the Allegro man non troppo part. I want to understand what the words "Recitativo" and "...
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11 votes
2 answers
1k views

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 ...
15 votes
4 answers
5k views

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, ...
4 votes
2 answers
982 views

How do you play the middle D and F in this passage?

This is from a piano song called "Jane's Song" by Christopher Norton. There are two whole notes that are held for the entire measure, but the left hand is also holding a note way into the bass and ...
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

Right piano pedal is bright

The piano at my home has three pedals, and the one at the right is brighter and shinier than the other two. What has happened? Is it normal?
user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
389 views

Where to find a replacement spring for the sustain pedal on my baby grand?

I recently changed houses, and in the move, the movers somehow dropped and lost the return spring for the sustain pedal on my Story & Clark baby grand. Is there a good place I can find one?
2 votes
3 answers
3k views

What should one use the left pedal for on an upright?

In the (many) years I've been playing the piano (generally upright only), I've never felt the need to use the left pedal. From what I gather, the left pedal on an upright places the hammers closer to ...
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23 votes
3 answers
5k views

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?
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0 votes
2 answers
380 views

Indication of general usage of piano pedal

Traditionally, "P" and "*" are used to indicate the use of sustain pedal for the piano, and the release of it, respectively. However, in composing my own piece, I often want to indicate the player ...
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

How to fix Sostenuto (Middle) pedal?

my sostenuto pedal is not working properly... When I press it down, the felt gets down so the hammers doesn't hit the string directly but when I release it the felt doesn't rise back completely so the ...
6 votes
3 answers
7k views

Is using the practice pedal frequently damaging to the piano?

To practice at night, I used the practice pedal to mute the piano. Does practicing the piano with the mute pedal damage the piano in the long run? Would it affect the hammer or the string in a ...
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Should I use the sustain pedal when playing Bach fugues?

I'm Practicing Bach Prelude & Fugue in D . There is no pedal markings since it from Baroque eras , but i found in Youtube many Concert pianist Performing Fugue with Sustain Pedals. Am working for ...
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