Watching somebody play piano you don't wonder how the keys work - at most you may wonder how the pianist manages to hit them so fast! However when it comes to the pedals many people don't actually know what they do exactly. This is why for most beginners the pedals are quite intriguing.
You could literally watch hundreds of pianists and focus solely on their feet, yet still not truly know what the pedals are used for. The following is a simple article designed to show you what the pedals are and how they work, also some advice on how you should use them yourself when playing the piano.
Left and middle pedals
There are at most three pedals on a piano. The left pedal differs depending on which piano you use: on a grand piano it moves the hammers slightly over to the left, while on an upright piano it brings them closer. For upright pianos this means the note sounds softer, while on grand pianos it not only softens the note but because the hammer hits a different amount of strings for each note it creates a nice muted timbre.
For pianos that have a middle pedal the function can differ, it isn't really seen as an crucial aspect of the piano. However, on concert grand pianos the middle pedal will allow you to sustain certain notes for longer, that is the ones that are held when the pedal is pressed.
The left and right pedals are the most important, while out of these the left pedal is the easiest to use. If you are playing on a grand piano use it sparingly, because of the fact that it alters the sound somewhat and is best used as an effect, unlike on an upright piano where you use it simply when you want to play a softer sound.
The Right Pedal - the soul of the piano!
There is so much that the right pedal is used for that it really needs a book unto itself, however for the sake of keeping things short and informative I will just briefly look into the basic use of it.
The right pedal works by lifting all the dampers off each string. This accomplishes two things: when you push the pedal down you are able to sustain the note you hit for as long as the string vibrates or until you lift the pedal back up. The other strings that you haven't struck also vibrate in time with the original note, allowing for a nice rich sound.
There are some pieces in which the right pedal will be used almost unendingly, for example if you were to play a Chopin Nocturne. The main thing to know when playing such a piece is when to perform a pedal change - this is when you release the pedal momentarily in order to clear the sound.
The easiest way to learn how to properly use the right pedal is to find piano sheet music that comes with instructions on when to use the right pedal. However, start out learning the piece without actually using the pedal at all. Ask your piano teacher to help you as well. Eventually you will get to grips with the whys and hows of pedalling, then you can start incorporating it into your practice from the outset. Most new players try to do too much too soon and instead of making the music sound as it should they will instead blur the sound and use the right pedal in all the wrong places.
Just remember to practice without the pedal occasionally and focus completely on your fingers, this way you will get to grips with each piece nicely before you have to start thinking about what your feet are doing at the same time. Go through each piece slowly and carefully until you have it perfected.
Experiment And Listen
It is important to remember where you are playing; this is because the surroundings will affect the sound a piano makes. For example, in a smaller room with less acoustic you will need to use the pedals more often in order to make the sound resonate, while in a large hall you will not need to do this as much because the hall itself will help the sound to resonate.
Each piano may sound slightly different and react to the pedals being pressed in various ways. For this reason you need to experiment with each piano and listen carefully as you push the right pedal down. Becoming skilled with the right pedal is actually one of the hardest things to do and some people can find it daunting. However, you mustn't give up because of this, simply look at it as something really worth while to practice and become great at.
