Some Practical Hints on Pedaling
The manner in which a passage is pedaled has much to do with its beauty. Even the clearest technic may lose its distinctness if the pedal is used incorrectly. Therefore special attention should be paid to this subject before a piece is played to an audience.
There are no set rules for pedaling. Certain principles are, however, well recognized as fundamental to good playing. A few of these are explained in this article.
As a general rule, it may be said that a good knowledge of harmony is necessary for good pedaling, so that related tones may be intelligently connected. Likewise, the ear should always be alert to catch good or bad effects when you are playing. In other words, form the habit of listening attentively to every note that you play.
1. Study the character of the instrument itself. Find out its capabilities and limitations. Know what the piano is best fitted to express, and seek to bring out its peculiar qualities. For instance, the lower register of the piano is more resonant than the upper; a passage perfectly pedaled in the treble may be blurred when sequentially treated in the bass. Again, the last few keys of the treble have no dampers, so that the damper pedal does not affect them save through the medium of undertones.
2. When you lift the pedal, be sure that it is lifted all the way up. It too frequently happens that the player lifts the pedal only half way, or depresses it too quickly for the dampers to entirely stop the vibration of the strings. This half dampening effect may often be of artistic value, but is more generally a blemish.
3. The pedal may be used to obtain a legato effect, when the required effect cannot be secured by the fingers alone; but never trust to the pedal for a legato which it is possible for the fingers alone to secure. A good finger legato leaves the pedal free to obtain pedal effects, thus enabling one frequently to enhance the beauty of a passage.
4. When the pedal is depressed, all the notes played before it is lifted keep on sounding, much as if they had been played all at the same time. In order to understand this, play the C major scale for one octave very slowly; then play it with pedal very slowly, keeping the pedal down until the last note has been sounded; then without pedal very rapidly; then with pedal very rapidly; and lastly rapidly with pedal, lifting the pedal after the final note has been sounded, but sustaining the final note with the finger. If you do this, listening attentively, you will notice that besides the dim mingling of tones, the C sounds predominantly.
5. A melody or passage will require different pedaling according to the speed at which it may be played.
6. Generally, the pedal should be lifted just after each melody note, so that the tones of the melody may stand out distinctly, except when it is desired to hold the tones of related harmonies together.
7. Related--even unrelated--harmonies may often be connected to secure a most artistic result. Try such a passage with different pedaling, and see which one is most agreeable.
8. After the pedaling has been fully decided upon, play the passage without pedal. It is very possible that important notes have been blurred and that inattentive listening has prevented the fault from being noticed.
9. A passage may often sound better without pedal than with it. A virtuoso's clarity and lightness in certain passages may be remarkable; the secret may not be his use of the pedal but his non-use of it. Some of the best pedal effects are gained by not using the pedal.
10. The pedal should generally be lifted just after the playing of a chord, seldom with or before it. So called staccato and legato pedaling may be understood from the following:
- (a) Legatissimo; keep the pedal down for some time after a chord has been played. The tones of the previous chord will mingle with it, and if the fingers are held down, the tones of the first chord will be heard to die out as the pedal is slowly lifted.
- (b) Legato; the pedal is lifted just after the chord is played, connecting the chords enough to get a legato effect but not enough for the tones to mingle.
- (c) Non-legato; the pedal is lifted just as the chord is played, the fingers having previously released the first chord.
- (d) Staccato; the pedal is used so that a distinct separating of the chords is noticed.
You should play a few chords, so as to readily understand the foregoing and appreciate the different effects which may be secured in chord playing. It is impossible to describe such effects; they must be heard.
11. Passages played with pedal have a different tone color from those played without pedal.
12. Finger staccato is impossible when the pedal is down. This hint would seem unnecessary were it not that so many students do not realize it.