If you’ve ever wondered, “What do the pedals on a piano do?” this post is for you! We’ll introduce you to the uses and mechanics of the three standard piano pedals, along with some tips on how to use them effectively in your favorite songs.
Table of Contents:
Subscribe to The Note for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.
Piano pedals are foot controllers that manipulate the tone and character of the piano’s sound. The three pedals you’ll see in a standard grand piano are, from right to left: the sustain pedal (also called the damper pedal), the sostenuto, and the una corda. Upright pianos often have a practice pedal in place of the middle sostenuto pedal.
The sustain pedal is also called the damper pedal. When you press a key on the piano, a felt part called the damper lifts up from the piano string, which allows the string to resonate freely. When you let off the piano key, the damper automatically comes back down. This stops the string from vibrating, muting the sound.
But when you press the damper pedal, all the dampers in the piano lift for as long as your foot depresses the pedal. The piano’s strings can now resonate freely until they naturally stop vibrating. (Here’s an animated demonstration of how this works.)
The sustain pedal will likely be the pedal you use most. It can instantly level up your playing and it’s responsible for the piano’s iconic sound.
🎹 HOW DO PIANOS WORK? Knowing the basic mechanics behind an acoustic piano can help you understand your instrument and play better. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of a piano’s inner workings. Pianos are beautiful machines!Not to be confused with the sustain pedal, the middle pedal of a grand piano is called the sostenuto. You can think of the sostenuto pedal as a selective sustain pedal because it sustains a specific note or group of notes rather than the entire keyboard.
When you press a key and then depress the sostenuto pedal, a bar inside the piano will “hook” the damper away from the key’s strings. As long as the sostenuto is depressed, that key’s strings will resonate.
Sostenuto pedaling is relatively rare. This technique is typically only found in later classical pieces of the modern era. Sometimes, the sostenuto is used to sustain a low bass note so that both hands can be used to play unsustained notes in the treble.
Did you know that most piano hammers (other than the lower bass notes) hit three strings, not just one? “Una corda” means “one string.” Pressing the una corda pedal on a grand piano shifts the keyboard to the right, making keys hit one string instead of three. This creates a softer, muted tone that gives the piano a mellow charm. The una corda is especially popular in “impressionist” pieces like those by Debussy and Ravel.
The una corda works slightly differently on an upright piano. In an upright piano, the una corda causes the hammers to move closer to the strings so that they don’t strike the strings as hard.
🎹 THE UNA CORDA PIANO: If you like the sound of the una corda pedal, you may be delighted to know that there’s a piano made up entirely of keys with one string per note!In upright pianos, the middle pedal is often a practice pedal. This pedal causes a piece of cloth to slide between the hammers and the strings, muting sound and allowing students to practice late into the night without bothering neighbors and housemates.
Some pianos have a bass pedal that sustains only the bass keys.
Pedals can be an incredible tool for piano players, but it’s important to keep a few things in mind:
My rule of thumb when using the sustain pedal is to lift it each time there is a chord change or a change in harmony. If you don’t know how to tell if there has been a change in harmony, go with your instincts. Your ear will be able to tell you if your sound has become muddy and you need to release the pedal.
Lisa Witt, Coach and Content Director at Pianote
We hope this article helps answer the question, “What do the pedals on a piano do?” and inspires you to play and pedal! (Just don’t pedal too much 😉 )
The best way to learn piano is with real teachers, but not everyone has the time and money for a private instructor. At Pianote, you can get real feedback from real experts…all from the comfort of your own home. Explore our Method and community yourself with a free 7-day trial.
TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS
Charmaine Li is a Vancouver writer who has played piano for over 20 years. She holds an Associate diploma (ARCT) from the Royal Conservatory of Music and loves writing about the ways in which music—and music learning—affects the human experience. Charmaine manages The Note. Learn more about Charmaine here.
By signing up you’ll also receive our ongoing free lessons and special offers. Don’t worry, we value your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
