How to Use the Pedals

Finally, we’ll explore the pedals available on your instrument. Acoustic pianos generally have three pedals, whereas, digital pianos will have either one, two, or three, depending upon the make and model you are using.

The most important pedal on all types is the sustain pedal (also known as the damper pedal). This is the pedal farthest to the right on pianos that have more than one pedal. On an acoustic piano, when you depress and then release a key, the sound stops because the dampers mute the strings to stop the vibrations. However, when the sustain pedal is depressed, the dampers are “disabled” so that the sound continues after you release the key on the keyboard, at least until the sound fades away naturally. This creates a full and resonant sound, as more notes can then be heard simultaneously.

On electronic keyboards, the musical effect of the sustain pedal is the same, but as these instruments do not have internal moving parts such as dampers, this effect is re-created electronically. On some keyboards, the sustain pedal is a separate piece of equipment that is plugged into a jack socket on the back of the instrument.

The sustain pedal is used in all styles of popular music (especially ballads and new age music) and is also needed for classical music, especially that from the Romantic era onwards (i.e., Chopin and Liszt). When using the sustain pedal, it’s important to depress and release it at the right times, otherwise the results will be muddy or indistinct, with too many notes “running into” one another—more about this later.

When people talk about “the pedal,” they are referring to the sustain (or damper) pedal. Also, when using the pedal, try to keep your heel on the floor rather than lifting your whole foot.

On to the other pedals (if you have them!): The left-most pedal on acoustic pianos (and on electronic keyboards with more than one pedal) is known as the “soft” pedal (una corda) because (surprise, surprise) it makes the piano sound softer. On an acoustic piano, this is actually achieved by moving all of the keys and hammers a little bit to the right, resulting in a softer sound as the strings are struck in a different place. Again, on an electronic keyboard, this effect is re-created electronically.

Acoustic pianos (and some of the fancier digital pianos) also have a middle pedal. This can have one of two functions:

• It can function as a sostenuto (which can be thought of as a “selective sustain”) pedal. Depressing this pedal will sustain any notes currently held down on the keyboard, but any other notes played afterwards will not be sustained. This pedal is seldom used in pop styles, but comes in handy for certain classical pieces. Many upright pianos may instead have a variation on the sostenuto in the form of a “partial” or “bass sustain” pedal. This pedal acts just like the damper, but only on the lower half (or so) of the keyboard.
• On some upright pianos, the middle pedal functions as a “practice” pedal, inserting a layer of felt between the hammers and strings, creating a very quiet (and rather muffled) sound. This can be helpful if you don’t want to disturb your neighbors while practicing. You can think of this as the “pre-digital age” version of the headphone output!