Rhapsody in Blue

[prodigy1220]

my piano teACHER DIEed recently and i currenkly don hav a teacher, so i need help. How do u use the pedal properly in rhapsody in blue and how do u play with clarity

[ted]

I am sorry to hear about your teacher. I think with that piece, it would be safe to say that overall it needs little pedal. Gershwin himself said that his music required the opposite of legato, and must be made to snap and crackle. Having said that, I think the main theme section definitely needs good pedalling and, of course, the conclusion. The whole of the first half and the section between the big glissando and the end, you could probably get away with hardly any pedal except on the big chords in the part immediately after the glissando. You can't hang on to them because there's so much jumping about, so they have to be pedalled to bring out the melody. In this section, Gershwin's piano roll is misleading as he gets his effect by inserting extra notes in the roll. Playing it solo needs a different approach.

You are correct, I think, to aim for absolute clarity in this piece. It requires the opposite of smudginess if any piece does.