How to use piano pedal: guide for beginners
The right pedal holds the sound and the secret is to change it just after we play the new chord. We explain to you the three pedals, how they are written and the most common mistakes.
The most important pedal of the piano is that of the right, that of resonance or maintenance: as we step onto it we get up all the blackouts and the notes continue to sound even if you release the keys. Sycopate pedal: play the new chord and, just after that, put up your foot and step back, so that the new sound will be held without mingling with the old one.
The left pedal, a corda, softens and changes the color of the sound. That of the medium depends on the piano: in a tail it's a brace, and in many vertics it's a satico to study. Here we explain how to step them, how they appear at the score, the most common mistakes and what to have at a digital piano.
To sum up
- The right pedal puts up all the shutters: the notes continue to sound as they drop the keys.
- At the sincopate pedal, first his hands come down and then his foot goes up and back down.
- The heel stands on the ground and the pedal stands with the front of his foot without hitting him.
- At the score, "ped." indicates step and the asterisk, or the end of the clasp, indicates release.
- The pedal changes as harmony changes, and the person who decides is his ear, and his foot.
The three pedals and what does each
| Pedal | Roof | Piano vertically | Digital Piano |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right: resonance or maintenance | Lift up all the blackout and light and light with them. | Just as with the tail | Simulates effect and supports half a pedal in many models |
| Izquierdo: a corda | Replace the mechanism to have the hammers hit less strings and with another felt area: soft and more veiled sound | About the hammers to the ropes: it sounds smoother with little color change | It simulates a smoother sound |
| Central | Hold up: hold up only the notes that were pressurized as they step onto it | It's usually a study satile: a fabric between hammers and strings that greatly reduces the volume | Depending on model: brace or other function |
The right pedal they also call "strong pedal," but the name cheats: it doesn't get up the volume but let the ropes and their resonance sound. That's why a piece with a lot of pedal can sound bigger and also more confusing if used bad.
How to step: foot and first steps
- Heel on the groundThe heel's the point of support and it's never in the air.
- Front foot onto the pedalThat's how you control the depth with a small movement of his ankle.
- Fatal contact. When you let go, your foot goes up with a pedal but doesn't get out of it. If you get up, your pedal makes noise as you come back and you lose precision.
- Find the point of action. The pedal has a small free ride before the blackout starts to come up. Learn where it is so as to avoid wasting time at that stage.
- The left footThat's right. That's clear.
Before you play, two minutes of preparation: with [methonomic]](/herramientas/metronomo) slow, step up at time 1 and let go at 3, without touching keys and without making noise. Then play a serious chord, step up, put your hands down and listen how it keeps ringing, put your foot down and listen to how it goes out. That listening is the basis of everything else. The posture of the rest of the body, including bench, we explain it at right place of the hands at piano..
The sinked pedal step by step
If you get up your foot before you touch the new chord, there's a quiet hole. If you get up long after that, both chords get mixed up. The sincopate pedal resolves that: the foot changes right after their hands touch them, after they get rid of them, as a setback.
| Momento | Manos | Pie |
|---|---|---|
| Time 1 | They play the new chord and hold it up | It goes up at the same moment: we clear the previous chord |
| Just after (and) | Keep holding the chord | He goes back down and gets his new chord. |
| Rest of the bar | Can release or touch other notes from the same chord | Stayed down till next change |
Two Exercises To Automate
- A single finger scale. Touch Doc.Re...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................@@
- Progression Do - Fa - Sol - Do. The left touches the fundamental and the right the chord, in round. He changes his pedal at every chord and says out loud "his... his foot's up and down."
There's also a direct pedal, that goes down at the same time as his hands, to give resonance to an insulated chord or an accent, and an advanced pedal, that step before they play so that the first note can sound with resonance. They appear later and the syncopate is what you're about to use most of the time.
How the pedal appears at the score
| Indication | What does that mean? |
|---|---|
| Ped. | Fold the right pedal |
| Asterisco () | Drop the right pedal |
| Horizontal line under the pentagram | Fingered while the line lasts, where it ends, it's loose. |
| Fold or notch at line (∞) | Drop and step back at once: a change of pedal |
| with Per. / senza ped. | Fingered, as per your criterion / with no Fedal |
| simile | Keep pedalling as in previous compasas |
| A corda (i.c.) / tre corda (t.c.) | Fold the left pedal / let go |
| Sast. | Central pedal (maintenance) |
| ½ Per. | Fingered half |
That there are no indications doesn't always mean "without a pedal." In many romantic works the composer left him at his discretion. At Bach you will barely ever see brands, because the keyboard tools for which he wrote most of his music did not have a resonance pedal. Many teachers demand to use them little or nothing at least at first.
Half a pedal, a cordage and a brace: when they are used
- Fold half: Just step up a part of the path, so that the blackout scatters have been tipped without completely tipping them off. Clean some of the sound and leave another place resounding. It's used as a romantic and Impressionist repertoire and requires an attentive ear.
- A corda: It's a matter of how to change the color with soft and mysterious passages. A common mistake is to use it to avoid monitoring soft sound with your fingers and your teacher will first ask you to play soft without him.
- Maintenance: allows to leave with a long serious note while their hands play short notes up and without them intermingle. It appears especially in repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries and in some arrangements.
Common errors with pedal
| Error | How does that sound? | Corrigendum |
|---|---|---|
| Fingers and hands at once at every change | Fold or cut between chords | Sycopate pedal: first hands, after foot |
| To leave the pedal foot many compas | A stain where harmonies are mixed | Switch the pedal at every chord change |
| Using the pedal to cover a bad legate | Sounds tied, but digitation doesn't exist | Study the piece without a pedal till your fingers stick with them |
| Finger or lift foot | A mechanical clac amidst music | Permanent contact and short movement |
| Heel in the air | Tired leg and vague changes | Looped heel and only his ankle moves |
| The same paedal at any piano or living room | Too cloudy in an echo room, dry in an off room | Adjust depth and changes to what you hear |
The pedal at a digital piano or keyboard
- Switch type pedal: The square pedal that comes with many keyboards only has two states, foot or loose, and usually slips down the floor. It serves to learn the syncopate pedal, and not the pedal half.
- Piano type pedal: has the form and path of a real pedal, it's more stable and, if the instrument admits, allows to gradate depth.
- If it works the other way around (Sounds sustained as you release), turn off the instrument, check that the pedal is connected and light it without passing. Some pedals have a polarity switch.
- Don't move: an anti-slip cover or a fixed base prevents the pedal from leaking as you play.
Another technical detail is the polyphony: with the foot pedal many notes accumulate and the most basic instruments start to cut the first ones. We explain this in [digital piano or keyboard]](/blog/piano-digital-o-teclado-diferencias). The pedal usually arrives at the end of the first year or second, as we count at how long it takes to learn pianoWhen I get there, a [piano] teacher](/clases/piano) He fixes in a single class what it takes weeks to listen to.
Frequently asked questions
When does the piano pedal start to be used?
When their hands are already playing with some flap, because the foot is a third "hand" that we have to coordinate. In many cases it appears at the end of the first year with the first pieces that demand.
What foot are used for every pedal?
The right for an MRI pedal and a left for a cordage. The centre usually step with a right, though when that foot is occupied with an MRI, some pianists use the left.
What does the asterisk mean under his notes?
It indicates that you release the resonance pedal, that had been pounded with the sign "ped." In modern editions it's more common to see a line with cuts, where the end of the line or every notch mark when to release.
Can I learn how to use the pedal with a keyboard pedal?
That's right, for basic reasons: the syncopate pedal will be taught as well. What you're not gonna be able to practice is the pedal half and the small pedal will be slipping with ease. If you're already playing pieces with pedal, a piano pedal's worth it.