Pedal: The Soul of The Piano: Tips From Chopin, Czerny & More

PEDAL: THE SOUL
OF THE PIANO
TIPS FROM CHOPIN, CZERNY & MORE
LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

THE SOUL OF THE PIANO
PEDALING TIPS FROM CHOPIN, CZERNY & MORE
Chopin called the proper use of the piano’s pedals “a

study for life.” The complexity of pedaling lies largely
in the fact that we must tailor our use of the pedals to
the style of the music that we are learning.
A sensitive and well-informed pianist will not pedal a

Mozart sonata and Chopin nocturne in the same way.
Learn what separates them and why they should be
approached differently below!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 . . . The Pedals & Their Function
2 . . . Pedal Markings In Scores
3 . . . Stylistic Considerations
A. Baroque Period
B. Classical Period
C. Romantic Period
D. The 20th Century & Beyond
4 . . . The Soul Of The Piano

THE PEDALS & THEIR FUNCTION
Before discussing stylistic
considerations in pedaling,
let us review the functions
of the three pedals and
how composers indicate
their use in scores.
SUSTAIN
The sustain (or damper) pedal is the rightmost pedal and the most
frequently used. When depressed, the sustain pedal raises the
dampers off the strings so that they continue to vibrate after the
keys are released. Consequently, the sustain pedal allows for rich,
expansive musical textures and harmonies and a connected legato
style of playing that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
Composers indicate use of the

sustain pedal with an italicized
“Ped.” and signal its release with a
large asterisk. Alternatively, use of
the sustain pedal is indicated with
a horizontal line with indents where
pedal changes are required.

THE PEDALS & THEIR FUNCTION
SOSTENUTO
Unlike the sustain pedal, which blurs all the notes of the keyboard,
the sostenuto (or middle) pedal allows us to sustain selected
notes, while leaving other notes unaffected.
To use the sostenuto pedal, we depress the key of the note(s)

that we want sustained, and then we depress the sostenuto pedal,
“catching the notes” before finally releasing the keys. With the
pedal still held down, we are then free to play elsewhere on the
keyboard. Composers indicate use of the sostenuto pedal with
“sost.” or “sostenuto.”
UNA CORDA
The una corda (or soft) pedal is the leftmost pedal. On a grand
piano, this pedal shifts the piano’s action slightly to the right, so
that the hammers strike only two strings per note instead of
three.
On an upright piano, this pedal shifts the hammers’ resting

position closer to the strings. The pedal’s effect, however, remains
the same on both kinds of pianos: it reduces the intensity (or
volume) of the notes played and alters their timbre, or the quality
of their sound.
Composers indicate use of the una corda pedal with “una corda”
and signal its release with “tutte corde” or “tre corde.”

PEDAL MARKINGS IN SCORES
"[BEETHOVEN'S HAND] COULD SCARCELY SPAN A TENTH.

HE MADE FREQUENT USE OF THE PEDALS." - CARL CZERNY
Composers do not always include

pedal markings in their scores,
even when they would have
expected us to use the pedals
when performing their work.
The Austrian pianist, composer, and

pedagogue Carl Czerny, for instance,
recalled that Beethoven’s hand “could
scarcely span a tenth. He made frequent use of the pedals, much
more frequent than is indicated in his works.”
This comment seems to suggest that

Beethoven used the sustain pedal at
least in part to accommodate the size of
his hands. If this was indeed the case,
he may have occasionally omitted pedal
markings knowing that other pianists
with hands larger than his own would
not need the pedal.

PEDAL MARKINGS IN SCORES
Scholar Reginald Gerig
notes that Debussy would
omit pedal markings
because in his time
pedals were unreliable,
varying considerably in
their effect from one
piano to the next.
Given the irregularity of

pedal markings in scores,
Czerny affirms that we
must employ the pedal
when the composer does
indicate its use.
We must also know, though, how and when to use the pedal when
it isn’t marked in the score.
DEBUSSY WOULD OMIT PEDAL MARKINGS BECAUSE

IN HIS TIME, PEDALS WERE UNRELIABLE AND INCONSISTENT.

STYLISTIC CONSIDERATIONS
Czerny advises pianists that “the works of each
Composer must be executed in the style in which he
wrote; and that the performer will assuredly fail, if he
attempts to play all the works of the Masters…in the self-
same style.”
We must consider the piano’s pedals with a similarly judicious and

thoughtful attitude, tailoring our approach to their use to the
various styles and periods of classical music.
BAROQUE PERIOD
Since pedals were invented after the Baroque period, keyboard
music from approximately 1600 1750 should be played with as
little pedaling as possible. Exceptions to this convention include
sensitive use of the sustain pedal in highly contrapuntal fugues to
enhance legato playing. The sustain pedal may also be used in
basso continuo playing to evoke the resonance of the lute.

CLASSICAL PERIOD
Czerny encourages pianists to use
the damper (sustain) pedal very
lightly in the works of composers
before Beethoven. Excessive, liberal
pedaling in the performance of
classical repertoire prevents us from
evoking the “brilliant style” that was
popular in Mozart’s time: this style
placed a high value on “a very
marked Staccato touch…and striking
elegance and propriety in the
embellishments...”
ROMANTIC PERIOD
Repertoire of the 19th century calls
for a more regular use of the pedals.
Many of Chopin’s piano works
require us to extend our hands to
wide intervals of at least a tenth or
more. The sustain pedal can help us
execute these large leaps. However,
Chopin’s hand reportedly looked like
“the mouth of a serpent about to
swallow whole rabbit,” and even he
still used the pedals.

ROMANTIC PERIOD CONT.
This reminds us that pedals serve a much grander musical
purpose than merely masking the limitations of smaller hands:
French pianist Antoine François

Marmontel, a contemporary of Chopin,
recalled that the composer’s use of the
pedal allowed him to achieve “ravishing
harmonies [and] melodic murmurs that
astonished and charmed” his listeners.
Despite his own use of the pedals in his

music, Chopin encouraged his students
to practice without them and advised
them to pedal sparingly in performance
“as a kind of breathing.”
Though we may use the pedals liberally in Romantic repertoire, we

should still always do so thoughtfully.
In the practice room, we should only incorporate the pedals after

we feel secure playing without them – the sustain pedal,
especially, does an excellent job at masking our mistakes!

20TH CENTURY & BEYOND

Twentieth-century and modern repertoire also calls for regular
(though always thoughtful! use of the pedals.
As composers grew increasingly interested in timbre (the quality,

or character, of a sound rather than its pitch or volume), they
turned to the pedals as a source of inspiration.
Debussy “reveled in the delicate mingling of sounds and

overtones” and was known both for his combined use of the
pedals and his aversion to excessive use of the sustain pedal:
“[he] could not tolerate his impressionism carried to the point of
unpleasant blur.”

The piano writing of George
Crumb features many inventive
approaches to pedaling. In his
chamber work Vox Balaenae,
for instance, the pianist must
carefully depress a cluster of
keys in the lower register
without letting them sound.
While holding these keys down,
the pianist must then depress
the sostenuto pedal. While
holding this pedal down, the
pianist then releases their hand.
This pedaling technique allows the harmonics of the previously

held low notes to resonate over the music that follows, creating a
beautiful, ghostly effect evocative of whale song.
THIS PEDALING TECHNIQUE CREATED A BEAUTIFUL,

GHOSTLY EFFECT EVOCATIVE OF WHALE SONG.

THE SOUL OF THE PIANO
The renowned Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein called the
pedals “the soul of the piano.”
We should feel inspired by their musical potential and challenge

ourselves to harness their express power through deliberate
training.
As you embark on your own

pedaling adventures, we invite
you to explore the pedagogical
literature on pedal technique,
such as Katherine Faricy’s
Artistic Pedal Technique:
Lessons for Intermediate and
Advanced Pianists.
For the beginners among us,

we recommend her text
Pedaling ~ Colors in Sound:
Lessons and Repertoire for
Elementary Piano Students.
"I AM CONVINCED THE PEDAL IS THE SOUL

OF THE PIANO" - ANTON RUBINSTEIN

LEARN FROM THE WORLD'S BEST
CLASSICAL PIANISTS
Join Grammy winning artists, Carnegie hall soloists,
international competition winners, and acclaimed
pedagogues as we build the largest classical piano
community in the world.
In-depth masterclasses on repertoire

from Bach to Ligeti
Skill-building lessons on technique

and musicianship
Foundational courses for beginners
Interviews and special features
TONEBASE PIANO
COMING FALL 2019

Pedal: The Soul of The Piano: Tips From Chopin, Czerny & More

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pedal: The Soul of The Piano: Tips From Chopin, Czerny & More

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pedal: The Soul of The Piano: Tips From Chopin, Czerny & More

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PEDAL: THE SOUL

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

Chopin called the proper use of the piano’s pedals “a

A sensitive and well-informed pianist will not pedal a

2 . . . Pedal Markings In Scores

4 . . . The Soul Of The Piano

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

Composers indicate use of the

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

To use the sostenuto pedal, we depress the key of the note(s)

On an upright piano, this pedal shifts the hammers’ resting

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

"[BEETHOVEN'S HAND] COULD SCARCELY SPAN A TENTH.

Composers do not always include

The Austrian pianist, composer, and

This comment seems to suggest that

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

Given the irregularity of

DEBUSSY WOULD OMIT PEDAL MARKINGS BECAUSE

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

We must consider the piano’s pedals with a similarly judicious and

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

French pianist Antoine François

Despite his own use of the pedals in his

Though we may use the pedals liberally in Romantic repertoire, we

In the practice room, we should only incorporate the pedals after

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

20TH CENTURY & BEYOND

As composers grew increasingly interested in timbre (the quality,

Debussy “reveled in the delicate mingling of sounds and

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

This pedaling technique allows the harmonics of the previously

THIS PEDALING TECHNIQUE CREATED A BEAUTIFUL,

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

We should feel inspired by their musical potential and challenge

As you embark on your own

For the beginners among us,

"I AM CONVINCED THE PEDAL IS THE SOUL

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

In-depth masterclasses on repertoire

Skill-building lessons on technique

Foundational courses for beginners

Interviews and special features

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

You might also like