For example, you play a big bass note, put the middle pedal down, and then noodle some staccato upper-register filigree, with the bass note sounding throughout thanks to the sostenuto pedal. I use the left pedal almost always. The abbreviation Ped. Problem with trying to play very quietly is that occasionally, we don't press the key quite hard enough - result - no sound. ), notes can be played more quietly with than without. What do these left arrows or angle brackets mean to the left of a chord? The left soft pedal (una corda pedal) was originally invented to modify the tone and color of notes played on a piano by hitting one (una corda) or two (due corde) strings instead of the typical three by shifting the action of the piano sideways. In the (many) years I've been playing the piano (generally upright only), I've never felt the need to use the left pedal. Has anyone seriously considered a space-based time capsule? Why does the Fazioli F308 have a 4th pedal that's like an upright “soft” pedal? The best way to learn how to pedal is to just try it out as you play. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Fine if you can reach all the nuances of ppp and mp. From what I gather, the left pedal on an upright places the hammers closer to the strings, reducing the velocity of the hammer as it strikes the strings. site design / logo © 2020 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. Pressing the key a certain distance with a certain acceleration will take a certain amount of time. But your question concerns uprights, where what happens is the hammers are brought closer to the strings, so don't have the same terminal velocity available as when the pedal is untouched. @Tim: My level of "certain" knowledge is a bit below what I'd want to answer. I can‘t and there is no eager to me to achieve this without this help. @CarlWitthoft - not sure, will research. And it's a darned sight easier to move the whole action forward than sideways,So, probably a bit of both, I guess. What should one use the left pedal for on an upright? Did the original Star Trek series ever tackle slavery as a theme in one of its episodes? Soft pedal aka “una corda pedal” (left) Most strings in an acoustic piano are grouped in threes, with each group tuned to the same note. When played normally, the hammer strikes all three at the same time giving a full, bright sound. Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for musicians, students, and enthusiasts. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. The most important thing about pedaling is simply not to overuse it. Is stomping on the soft pedal of an upright piano bad for the piano? This is sortof the case, but there is a little more to it! rev 2020.11.24.38066, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. Because the damper pedal allows the notes to sustain after your fingers release the keys, it’s often called the sustain pedal. When piano players talk about using the pedal, they usually mean using the damper pedal, which is the one on the right as you sit at a piano. How to find individual probabilities of all numbers from a list? Soft-pedaling. Things can get blurry in a hurry. What is the decisive point for classifying a certain speech as unacceptable?