How soft can you play? Question on soft pedal...

[atticus]

Hi all,

I have a question on playing softly...I have a large upright piano (about 3 in. from the wall) in a very small room.   I have a very difficult time playing softly.  I wondered at first if it was because of the acoustics of the room (it's a tall piano) but then I noticed when I play and depress the left soft pedal it sounds fairly soft.  So my question is, can most people play as softly (without using the soft pedal) as you could if you played while depressing the soft pedal?

Thanks,
atticus 

[henrah]

Not on my upright in my room; but on our grand, yes. In Chopin's Prelude No.4 I like to start off using the Una Corda (soft) pedal, then in the second part, after the RH quavers, I release it, and don't use it for the rest of the piece. I think it really adds to the piece, making the two halves sound completely different.
Henrah

[cy_shuster]

Atticus,

On an upright, in my opinion, it makes very little difference.  I notice more the "lost motion" in the keys when the una corda pedal is down (the first millimeter you push down the keys, there is no resistance, and nothing happens -- you're just taking the slack out of the action).

--Cy--

[mike_lang]

.

[cy_shuster]

The problem lies in the way the "una corda" pedal works on an upright versus a grand.  One can imitate with the fingers the effect it creates on an upright (all it does is move the hammers closer to the strings) simply by playing in the second escapement. 

Michael,

Can you explain more about what you mean by "playing in the second escapement"?

--Cy--

[mike_lang]

Michael,

Can you explain more about what you mean by "playing in the second escapement"?

--Cy--

Difficult to explain, it's something you have to feel for.  If you look at the action of the piano, it is similar (in this only) to harpsichord in that the hammer rebounds twice, the second time much closer to the string.  If you can play with the hammer closer to the string in the first place, deeper in the keys, you naturally get a different color, as there is less time for the hammer to gain momentum.  I stress that this is something that you must experiment with; there is no set method.  Food for thought.

Sorry for the wordy reply.

best,
Michael 

[cy_shuster]

Thanks -- I think I understand what you mean.  Yes, on a soft blow, the hammer will drop all the way back down.  On a medium blow, the hammer will "go into check": it will be held by the backcheck, closer to the strings.  This gives a closer starting point for the next keystroke, just like the una corda pedal in uprights.

I'll experiment with this.  I haven't spent much time playing lately (too busy tuning!).

Harpsichords have no hammers, just "jacks" with "plectra" that pluck the strings.

--Cy--

[chopinfan_22]

You must also keep in mind who you are playing for. Since you're playing the piano, it's probably going to sound loud to you, but it may sound softer to other people because sound fades out the further it travels. I would play so softly that when I would hit the keys they would make any sound (with the una corda) but I've always felt that if I didn't use the una corda then the song itself is too loud.