Pedal

What it means

Pedal designates two different things. On the organ it is the keyboard for the feet: a row of long keys, usually with its own pipework, that as a rule starts an octave lower than the manuals. On the piano, pedals are levers that do not sound notes but change the mechanism — the right one lifts all the dampers, the left one shifts the keyboard or shortens the hammer travel, the middle one, on grand pianos, holds open dampers of previously struck notes. Harp, timpani, and some other instruments also have pedals, each with its own function.

In the notation

Organ pedal parts stand in a staff of their own below the manuals; foot markings distinguish toe and heel as well as left and right foot. Piano pedal use is indicated by the sign for lifting the dampers and a star or a bracket line; these markings are usually only guidelines, since they depend on the instrument and the room.

Musical use

On the organ, the pedal carries the bass line and makes true three-layered texture possible: two hands on different manuals, plus an independent bass voice. A large part of the organ repertoire is unthinkable without this principle. On the piano, the right pedal is a tonal device of the first rank: it connects notes the hand cannot hold, and lets sympathetically vibrating strings enrich the tone. Used wrongly it creates blur; used rightly it is the precondition for full piano sound.

Performance practice

On the organ it holds: set bench height and distance so that the feet reach the pedal without stretching, fix foot markings in writing, and practise slowly without looking. On the piano, change the damper pedal by ear at harmony changes, usually immediately after the attack, and practise passages first without pedal, to secure legato in the fingers. Use the left pedal for colour, not as a substitute for volume.

Bear in mind that pedal use on the piano depends on the instrument and the room: markings in editions are guidelines, and the same passage demands less pedal in a reverberant hall than in a dry practice room. Check the effect by listening, not by prescription. On the organ, the foot fingering belongs to the preparation just as the hand fingering does and should be fixed in writing. Practise pedal parts first alone and without looking. With unfamiliar instruments, check bench height and distance, because both determine accuracy.