How To Use The Piano Sustain Pedal

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If you’re working to achieve that concert pianist sound, you’re in the right place!  Today, I’m going to introduce 6 pedal techniques you need to know to sound more polished. I will teach you how and when to use the following techniques: FULL PEDAL, HALF PEDAL, QUARTER PEDAL, COLOR PEDAL, FLUTTER PEDAL & FINGER PEDAL.

The most important thing to remember about pedaling is that it requires good listening.  As a general rule, use your ears to know when to change the piano sustain pedal.   

WHAT IS THE PIANO SUSTAIN PEDAL?

The piano sustain pedal (aka damper pedal) is to the right of the other pedals and is used more often than the other pedals.  It raises all of the dampers off the strings so the vibration continues after the player releases the key.  Legendary pianist, Arthur Rubinstein called this pedal “the soul of the piano.”  It’s important to remember that the damper pedal isn’t used exactly the same way for every piece you play. 

TECHNIQUE #1: FULL PEDAL 

In the Mozart Fantasy in D minor, K. 397, there are long flowing lines.  The beginning arpeggios need to sound legato and flowing. Because this part is chordal, it’s ok to use full pedal to help with the sustaining of the notes.  But, I do want to mention that this is not typical pedaling for Mozart, in general.

TECHNIQUE #2: QUARTER PEDAL

In measures 12-15 of the Mozart Fantasy in D Minor, K. 397, there is a need for quarter pedals so the notes don’t sound dry or staccato.  Using a small amount of pressure on the pedal with a short touch will give the notes some resonance but keep them slightly separated, which emphasizes the style of Mozart.  Just a slight amount of pedal makes a huge difference in the beauty of the tone.  

TECHNIQUE #3 HALF PEDAL 

The Mozart Sonata K. 331 poses a different problem in pedaling. We want the melody and accompaniment to sound legato, but we have to be very careful to not over-pedal.  Use a light pedal touch, but hold it a little longer than a quarter pedal.  

TECHNIQUE #4: COLOR PEDAL

A good example of when to use color-pedaling is in Variation 1 of Mozart’s Sonata K. 331.  I suggest using the pedal only for the left-hand chords. When I do this, the chords have color and sound more beautiful. The pedal can be likened to a vibrato on a stringed instrument. Vibrating the string enhances the tone of the note and makes it sound more resonant.

TECHNIQUE #5: FLUTTER PEDAL 

I like to use flutter-pedal in Variation 3 of this same Mozart Sonata, K. 331.  We know that Mozart wanted the octaves of this variation to sound similar to the previous single notes. Flutter-pedal allows us to make the octaves sound more legato like the single notes, but not overly blended. When I flutter-pedal, I don’t push the pedal down very far and I change frequently.  

TECHNIQUE #6: FINGER PEDAL

Finger pedaling can be used as a substitute for the damper pedal in some pieces.  It was often used in the Baroque and Classical periods and pieces with Alberti Bass (like in Mozart’s Sonata K. 545).  In Bach’s Prelude in E Minor BWV 855, there’s an opportunity to use finger-pedaling.  It creates a beautiful, legato sound without the damper pedal. In finger-pedaling, you play the notes slightly overlapped.  You hold a key through a portion of the next key played. It’s much easier to demonstrate this pedal technique and all of the techniques I talked about today in my video here.  I hope to see you there!  

CLICK TO WATCH DEMONSTRATIONS OF THESE PEDAL TECHNIQUES 

Post by Professor Lenora Ford Brown