Piano Pedals and How to Use Them

Piano pedals are not often thought about by those who do not know how to play the instrument. Generally, players new to this instrument only consider those black and white keys across the top of the instrument. Piano moving equipment is another aspect of playing that new players may not have thought about, either such equipment, like the piano moving dolly or piano wheels is essential for anyone who plans to play a piano that must be moved around an auditorium or classroom. As you can see, there is much for a player to learn about the instrument before he even sits down to play.

Musicians who are just setting out to learn to play this instrument are often confused by the foot pedals. Everyone knows that the keys produce sound, but not everyone understands how pedals work. Even a casual observer would be able to tell you that the keys are obviously what create the music heard from a piano, but not many people understand how the pedals fit into the equation. The mysterious pedals provide no clues for the casual observer, though a musician often reaches for them. In order to learn how the pedals operate, the right questions must be posed to the right person. If you have ever wondered what the pedals can be used for, read on.

The left pedal is used to either lift the hammers closer to the strings of an upright, or to move the hammers slightly to the left on a grand piano. When the left pedal is utilized on an upright, the player creates a slightly different sound as he continues to play. A grand piano player will be controlling how many strings the hammers hit on each note, and moving the point of contact where the hammers meet the strings, creating a softer song and an overall lighter timbre.

The right pedal serves to lift all dampers from the strings. When this happens, the note or chord being played as the pedal is pressed will be held out for as long as the string keeps vibrating or until the pedal is raised once more. Additionally, when the pedal is pressed all other strings will begin to vibrate in sympathy with the one struck. This creates a more complicated, more resounding sound than if one string were vibrating alone.

Not all pianos have a middle pedal, but when they do it is used for different reasons and may not even ever be needed to enhance a player’s sound. On a concert grand piano, the middle pedal works to sustain some notes while others are negated. The right and left pedals remain the most important to the common player. The left pedal is more easily learned by new students, who simply press it to make the music sound lighter. The right pedal, on the other hand, is the stuff on which manuals can be written. It has many more uses than the ones stated here, and is best mastered under the watchful eye of an experienced music teacher.

Author Bio: Stewart Wrighter owns and operates a top ranking web site to help people find piano moving equipment to meet their needs. He offers a variety of piano moving dolly equipment.

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