Piano Pedals

Q: Is a piano with three pedals better than a piano with two pedals?

This common belief has no basis in fact. Piano pedals are supposed to perform functions needed in the performance of piano music. Many excellent instruments have only two pedals: a soft pedal and a sustaining pedal. In fact some inferior pianos have three pedals and in some instances the center pedal has no important function at all. Certain market-conscious European manufacturers put two pedals on pianos (including grands) destined for use in Europe, but for export to the U.S. they add a third pedal.

It is important to examine the functions of pedals on the piano before buying a piano, not because it will indicate the quality of the instrument but rather because it will acquaint you with the use of the pedals on the particular piano you are buying.

Pedal use on all pianos is similar, but is not always exactly the same.

Q: Is it correct to call the sustaining pedal the "loud" pedal, or "damper" pedal?

The pedal on the right-hand side of the assembly is by definition and function a sustaining pedal. Its function is to prolong the sounding of a note or notes, not to make any of them individually louder. In fact, when a note is played with the piano dampers lifted (pedal depressed), the sound is loudest immediately after the hammer impact, then it gradually fades away.

Volume can actually be increased in a musical passage by playing a greater number of notes while the pedal remains depressed. When all these sounds are sustained together, we have increased overall volume.

The important fact about the damper pedal is that its use activates all of the dampers on the piano all at the same time. It is found on all pianos.

Activation of the center pedal involves only the bass dampers as a separate unit. This separate bass sustain is not necessary to the playing of good piano music. It is an extra and is found on many American made pianos, both vertical and grand.

For more information about piano lessons NJ with sustaining pedal classes, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.