Sustain pedal
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A sustain pedal or sustaining pedal (also called damper pedal, loud pedal, or open pedal
This lets the pianist sustain notes that would otherwise be out of reach, for instance in accompanying chords, and accomplish legato passages (smoothly connected notes) that would have no possible fingering otherwise. Pressing the sustain pedal also causes all the strings to vibrate sympathetically with whichever notes are being played, which greatly enriches the piano's tone.
History
A device similar to the sustain pedal in effect was invented by the piano pioneer Gottfried Silbermann; it was operated by the player's hands rather than a pedal. A later builder, Johann Andreas Stein, may have been the first to allow the player to lift the dampers while still playing; his device was controlled by a knee lever.
Until the onset of the Romantic era in music, the sustain pedal was considered a special effect, used only in particular circumstances. Only with the Romantics did a fairly constant use of the pedal come to be regarded as an essential element of piano sound.
Specifying pedaling in musical compositions
Appropriate use of the pedal is often left to the musician's discretion, but composers and music editors also use
In General MIDI, the sustain pedal information is controlled by Control Change number 64 (CC 64).[2]
Sostenuto pedal
The
Half pedaling
For mechanical pianos, and simulated on some digital piano pedals, it is possible to press down the sustain pedal only partially such that the dampers just touch the strings very slightly. This technique for the advanced pianist is called half pedaling and allows a fine variation of the sound. It can be observed that with half pedaling the damping is more effective for the higher tones. An example for a musical piece that is played with half pedaling by some pianists is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Most recent digital pianos also support this effect.
Other instruments
- Electronic keyboards often include a sustain pedal, a simple foot-operated switch, which controls the electronic or digital synthesis so as to produce a sustain effect. Several recent models use more sophisticated pedals that have a variable resistance, allowing half pedaling.
- Metallophones such as vibraphones, tubular bells, and high-end glockenspiels[3] have sustain pedals that allow the metal bars to ring.
- The Cimbalom has a sustain (or damper) pedal, which allows its strings to ring or abruptly mutes them.
See also
- Soft pedal
- Expression pedal
- Sostenuto
- Mute (music)
References
- ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.
- ^ NickFever. "MIDI CC List". NickFever. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ "YG-2500 - Overview - Yamaha - United States". usa.yamaha.com. Retrieved 2020-08-27.