finger pedalling

[BoliverAllmon]

ok I learned finger pedalling today. has anyone else ever learned this technique?

[sleepingcats]

Yes! My current teacher (since Aug 2004) taught me finger pedalling with the first piece which was CPE Bach's "Solfeggietto", and I'm doing it now in Beethoven's Sonata Op. 49, No. 2. It took a bit to get the hang of it but I like the way it sounds.

What piece are you using it in?

[ludwig]

I don't know what to call this technique but is it overlap? Like sustaining a note so it sort of clashes with the next by holding onto the notes but then letting fo gradually, so the tention is resolved more effectively? Or am I talking about something totally different?

[BoliverAllmon]

you sound about right. it is real effective with Alberti bass. Say I have a figure that goes a,e,a,c,a,e These are all eighths. You hold down the A until you play it again. Same as the e and c. gives a mini pedal sound.

I am doing it currently on a Haydn's Sonata. No. 42

[BoliverAllmon]

sorry I meant 43

[pianonut]

yes!  mozart's alberti bass, too.  it does make it sound pedalled, so you can pedal lighter.  and, a richer sound.  guess that for some reason, it's never recommended in the rh. (treble).  must make it sound lazy on that side (wheareas no one notices if you sneak it in the bass).

[ako]

Yes, finger pedaling is great. I used it most in Chopin and Bach.

[faulty_damper]

This is what my former teacher called "legato touch".

[gkatele]

I had never heard of finger pedalling until yesterday, during my lesson.

I had sorta learned the Beethoven Op. 49 #1 on my own last month and showed my teacher what I had done. She said that "Finger pedalling would be nice here." (the part with the Alberti accompaniment)

"Huh?" I said.

And she described it.

Now I see a thread on it...


Spooky   




George

[xvimbi]

Finger pdalling is another one of those topics one can get into heated discussions about. Some people feel very strongly about it, particularly in Mozart and Bach. Purists will despise those who use it. They say that finger pedalling makes Mozart sound like Chopin. Same with Bach. At the same time, they are a lot less unhappy with someone using finger pedalling than with someone using real pedalling. Concerning Alberti basses or arpeggios, finger pedalling is great to give them a chordal sound. However, in many other instances (and again, the purists would say "always") that chordal sound is not Mozart and would advise against using finger pedalling with ascending notes, but may be OK with descending notes, because that gives less of a chordal sound.

I personally think it is a very useful technique, as mentioned earlier, to give the sound some added richness without the deep richness of true pedalling. The decision about what sound one wants has to be made in one's head, so one can't blame people for playing Mozart like Chopin because of finger pedalling, but because they decided to do so in the first place (whatever technique they use in the end).

Then there is the added benefit of finger pedalling as an excuse: "Hey, this is a quarter note. You held it for too long!", "Oh, but I am finger pedalling. It was deliberate..."

[BoliverAllmon]

Then there is the added benefit of finger pedalling as an excuse: "Hey, this is a quarter note. You held it for too long!", "Oh, but I am finger pedalling. It was deliberate..."

I will have to use that one. LOL

[hazypurple21]

Does anybody want to explain to me exactly what finger pedaling is?

[pianonut]

in a very simplified form, it is simply holding the first note of the four you usually play in alberti bass to give a sort of pedalled effect (without pedal).  it adds to a fuller bass sound and is not usually noticed as much as if you purposely (or accidentally ) held other notes longer than their prescribed value.

ps fingerpedalling is sometimes written into music (bach, mozart, beethoven and others) to hold a certain note down, while others are played.  sometimes you have to play this note a little louder so that the 'decay' will not cause the note to totally disappear before the end of the measure or however long it is held.  *esp. in slow movements.

[faulty_damper]

ps fingerpedalling is sometimes written into music (bach, mozart, beethoven and others) to hold a certain note down, while others are played.  sometimes you have to play this note a little louder so that the 'decay' will not cause the note to totally disappear before the end of the measure or however long it is held.  *esp. in slow movements.

Do you mean suspensions?

[pianonut]

yes, thank you!

[faulty_damper]

Suspensions are not technically "finger pedaling".  They are there to be resolved after the strong beat, where ever that may be in the bar, not necessarily on the first beat of the bar.

Pedal points establish a foundation as harmonies change.  But this isn't "finger pedalling" either.

"Finger pedalling" isn't written into music - it is a technique used for coloring done by the performer.

[BoliverAllmon]

very good coloring I might add. You can hold down more than just the first note.