Piano for Beginners 6th ED - 2016 UK

Getting started

P

edals on a piano are used to create sounds

that you could not otherwise achieve with

your hands alone. There are two standard

foot pedals on a piano. On the left is una

corda, and on the right is sustain. Some pianos have

an additional middle pedal called the sostenuto.

However, this is not used very often.

The una corda pedal is played with your left foot

and is known as the soft pedal. It is used to enhance

softly played notes and is designed for notes that

are required to be played quietly. It will not be as

effective in softening louder notes.

The right pedal is the sustaining pedal, also

known as the damper pedal, which is used by your

right foot. It is used to elongate the sound of a note

so that it continues to resonate even when you

have let go of the key. The resonance will continue

until you lift off from the pedal. This effect is

very useful when you need notes to overlap in

harmonies or otherwise.

The final middle pedal, if your piano has one, is

the sostenuto. It is controlled with your right foot

and works similarly to the sustain pedal, but it only

sustains certain notes. Hit the notes you want to

sustain and depress the pedal; any other note will

sound the same. This allows sustained notes to be

played alongside regular notes.

Using the

piano’s pedals

Advance your playing style by getting to grips

with the pedals on the piano

How to use the pedals

Learn when to depress and when to lift from the pedals

01 Get your feet in position

You’ll need both your feet to use the pedals. You may need to adjust your

posture slightly in order to reach all the pedals, but try to retain the perfect

posture we outlined earlier.

03 Be gentle

When you release from a pedal, do so gently. This not only makes the notes

sound better, but it also prevents an audible knocking noise created by the

pedal suddenly lifting upwards.

02 Keep your heel on the ground

When a pedal is played your heel should remain on the ground while the pedal

is depressed with the ball of the foot. Don’t leave the floor with your heel in a

‘stomping’ manner.

04 Make sure you practise

Even if your piece of music does not require it, practise with the pedals. Try to

transition smoothly between depressions and lifting, and learn how each pedal

can be best utilised.