Pedals and pedal markings – free music theory course

A modern piano usually has three pedals. Used well, they transform the sound; used badly, they blur it completely.

The right pedal: sustain (damper) pedal

It lifts all the dampers: strings keep vibrating after you release the keys, and other strings resonate in sympathy. It gives the piano its halo, a legato fingers alone can't produce, and richness in the bass.

Traditional notation: 𝆮 (Ped.) to press, ✱ to release.
Modern notation: a bracket under the staff; a "V" notch means release and press again immediately.
con pedale: with pedal, left to the performer's taste; senza pedale: without pedal.

M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=66
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] [EGc]4 | [FAc]4 | [DGB]4 | [EGc]4 |]
[V:LH] "_Ped."C,4 | "_* Ped."F,,4 | "_* Ped."G,,4 | "_* Ped."C,4 |]

Syncopated (legato) pedalling

To connect chords with no gap and no blur, the basic technique is counter-intuitive: change the pedal just after playing the new chord, not at the same time.

Play chord 1, then press the pedal.
Play chord 2: as it sounds, lift the pedal…
… and press it again straight away, while your fingers hold chord 2.

The foot goes "up-down" after the hand. That is what lets you connect without mixing harmonies.

The left pedal: una corda (soft pedal)

On a grand piano it shifts the action so the hammers strike only one or two strings instead of three: the sound becomes softer and changes colour (more veiled). Notation: una corda (u.c.), cancelled by tre corde (t.c.). On an upright it simply moves the hammers closer to the strings.

The middle pedal: sostenuto

On grand pianos it sustains only the notes already held down when you press it: you can hold a deep bass note while the hands play staccato above. Notation: Sost. Ped. On many uprights the middle pedal is actually a practice mute.

Listen, don't count: pedalling is adjusted by ear. If the sound gets blurry, change more often, or use half-pedalling (pressed halfway) which only partially damps. Debussy asked for very rich pedalling, but always "breathing".

Common mistake: holding the pedal through a change of harmony. Two different chords mixed together make sonic mush. Starting rule: new harmony = new pedal.

A famous example: Beethoven writes "senza sordino" (without dampers, i.e. with pedal) at the head of the "Moonlight" Sonata: he wanted a continuous halo, which today must be adapted to our far more resonant pianos.