The soft pedal ?

[kghayesh]

I want to ask whether using the soft pedal fluently should be a necessary skill for every pianist or i should not get so dependent on it.

At home, i practice with it and using it when playing a sudden subito piano or pianissimo. But, at the lesson, the piano has a poor soft pedal that shifts all the keys of the piano to the right at once !!! ( have u ever seen anything like this ?) So, i can't use it like what i did at home and so i end up not using it at all in the lesson.

So, i need yr opinions please

[quantum]

The left pedal has a different function on an upright than on a grand.  On an upright all it does is move all the hammers closer to the keys.  This results in less key travel, and it is just easier to play softer. 

On a grand the entire keyborard shifts to the right.  Also called the Una Corda pedal because early in piano history when the pedal shifted it hit only one string.  On todays piano's it hits 2 of the 3 tridchord unisons.  The hammers not moved any closer to the strings like on an upright.  On a grand this has to outcomes: 1) 2 of 3 strings are struck and thus less volume plus different timbre; 2) strings hit a more fleshy part of the hammer not compacted as much by the strings resulting in a darker more veiled sound. 


First thing you need to do is recognize this basic timbre change that occurs in a grand.  You get used to the key shifting thing verry easily so don't worry about that.  Once you recognize this difference in sound you can use it in your pieces to get more tonal variety. 

[whynot]

It is good to be very comfortable with your pedals, of course, but make sure you use them to make a specific sound, not to hide something.  I used to use the soft pedal to sound more subtle when I was unsure of passages, and at the same time blur them with the damper pedal.  A really fantastic pianist caught me at it and practically killed me for it.  So now I make sure that I'm working in the positive sense--what am I trying to do--rather than the negative--what am I trying to hide.   

[zheer]

It took me a long time to understand its value,so i would never use it and never noticed it beeing used by others.However these days i notice it all the time and use it a lot more on good pianos, i love it. As for the piano keys moving to one side, well that hasnt happend on the pianos i use, but they do happen on some.

[Dazzer]

reminds me of my licentiate exam viva voce, and the examiner asked me what i thought about the usage of una corda when its not stated explicitly in the score. And i looked blankly for a second, and i think i must have been asleep, so i said "You're talking about the left pedal right?"

the look on his face... urgh.
lol

[kghayesh]

I had another question concerning the soft pedal....

Is dependence on the soft pedal something bad??? i.e: When one is so used to playing with it that when he plays at a piano with a faulty one he cannot produce good sound at all and keeps banging and playing soft notes strangely.
I know that this is an extreme, but can dependence on the soft pedal be like addiction ??

[whynot]

This is a great question, and I'll just give my own opinion, which is not a universal answer or anything. 
I think any pedaling (or non-pedaling) can be addictive.  I used to use both main pedals to soften and blur my playing.  I definitely hid behind the pedals. 

It's important to be able to make many different sounds on a piano, and to make reliable soft sounds without the "soft" pedal.  On a good piano, I don't use the soft pedal if I'm just trying to be quiet; I try to do that with touch.  I use the soft pedal when I want a different timbre.  But I'm flexible about it.  If I'm in a concert and too nervous to have the soft touch I want, or if the piano itself is too rough, I certainly use whatever pedals make it sound better.  Just my own take on this. 

[quantum]

Just as one can use the pedals to hide lack of clarity and detail of note attacks, extreme clarity can be used to hide a performers lack of ability to nuance and colour.  IMO one needs to take the idea of sound formed in one's mind, and translate it to a balance of what technique to employ such sound on a particular instrument.  There are of course issues with every individual instrument, and the performer may need to change their use of pedals to better achieve the sound they want. 

[whynot]

Beautifully put.

[yoshiki]

You mentioned your teacher's grand piano shifts all the keys to the left, is it because that particular piano is quiet old?
Or morden grand pianos do the same?

[gruffalo]

basically if you want to use the soft pedal to keep something quiet, practice the passage till you are able to keep it quiet without using the soft pedal. then you can apply it in later practice so at least you have a basis for keeping quiet by using your hands.

you shouldnt have to depend on the soft pedal. the question on should it become an addiction? if you practice it the way i put it above, you will use it but you will also know how to play quiet without the soft pedal.

[infectedmushroom]

I agree; you shouldn't depend on the soft pedal if you want to play something quiet. Though, imo it's fun to use it. In some pieces, it just adds something to your playing. Touch can do a lot, but the soft pedal is still different.

Just fun to use, but not a "must" in my eyes.

[abell88]

You mentioned your teacher's grand piano shifts all the keys to the left, is it because that particular piano is quiet old?
Or morden grand pianos do the same?

This is normal for a grand piano, old or modern.

(I have heard of a student calling their teacher in tears, because they "broke" the piano when they used the soft pedal in their exam!)