The soft pedal (una corda)
· Pedalling · Level 4 · 10 min
The left pedal is called the "soft pedal" or una corda ("one string"). Its Italian name is a historical survival, but its real role is not just to make the sound softer: it changes the colour of the sound.
How it works
- On a grand piano: the whole action (keyboard included) shifts slightly to the right. In the middle and treble each note has three strings; with the pedal, the hammer strikes only two (on early pianos, just one: hence una corda). It also strikes with a less compacted part of its felt: the sound becomes veiled, distant, "muffled".
- On an upright piano: the hammers move closer to the strings. With a shorter stroke they travel more slowly: the sound is softer but the timbre changes little. The touch also feels slightly different (a "loose" feeling at the start of the key).
Score markings: una corda (or u.c.) to press it, tre corde (or tutte le corde, t.c.) to release it.
M:4/4 L:1/4 Q:1/4=60 K:C "^una corda"!pp!E G c2 | B A G2 | "^tre corde"!mf!e d c2 | c4 |]
When to use it
- When the composer marks it (Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Debussy…).
- For a change of colour: an echo, a memory, an unreal atmosphere.
- In a pianissimo on a very bright piano or in a very reverberant room.
Exercise
- Play the example above twice: once pp without the soft pedal, once with it. Compare colour and volume.
- Play a phrase mf, then repeat it as an echo with the soft pedal.
- Combine soft pedal and sustain pedal: the most vaporous colour the piano can make.
Common mistake: using the soft pedal as a crutch for every piano. First learn to play very softly with your fingers; the soft pedal is a colour, not an automatic volume reducer.
Tip: on a grand piano, press the pedal all the way down for a clean result; partial depression produces uneven effects from note to note. Make a habit of pressing it fully.