Chopin Cantabile in Bb Major and Nocturne In C Minor Pedal question!

[mekohler]

I have a question regarding the pedal in these pieces. Nocturne in C minor for example, the book has you using the pedal pretty much twice each bar, yet my teacher (Russian NYC concert pianist) tells me to ignore that and pedal pretty much for every note on the left hand. This hurts my foot, and I can't imagine doing it like this at full speed. Also for Cantabile, she also recommends pedalling for every single note/chord in the left hand, ignoring the books pedal markings. What do you guys think? Sorry I dont have a link to either sheets.

[quantum]

You might not need to lift the pedal up all the way and down.  The object is to clear the sound, and you don't need to do a full motion up and down to do that.  You may also investigate 1/2 pedalling where you only lift the pedal enough to clear some harmonies so legato line is preserved but not blurred too much. 

If your foot hurts, you must tell your teacher.  Your teacher should help you solve this.  You may be employing incorrect pedal technique.  Do you have long legs and play on an upright?  Some uprights have the pedal too close to the body so your legs don't have room to naturally extend.  Grand pedals are usually extended more underneath the piano so there is room for you legs to stretch. 

Also tell your teacher that you don't understand how this pedaling will work at faster speeds.  Ask your teacher to help you refine your pedal technique.  Ask him/her to demonstrate and watch their feet carefully comparing it to what you do. 

As for interpretation.  Pedal changes are not written in stone.  They depend on the resonance of the room and sustaining power of the piano.  You should be actively adapting your pedaling when playing in different rooms and different pianos.  Use your ears to judge the degree of "wetness" you like in pedalling. 

Pianos in Chopin's time were very different to ours, and thus required different pedaling.  Those printed in your edition are a guide.  You don't have to follow them as strictly, as you do with other elements of the score.  With modern music, this may be different however. 

There is also a point where too much pedal changes can hurt a melodic piece such as a nocturne.  It can become dry because harmonies in the LH are dispersed over time, and are not allowed full realization if there are too many pedal changes within a single harmony.  This is the main reason I hugely dislike Barenboim's recording of the nocturnes.   However I do encourage you to take a listen if you have a chance, see how much an effect pedaling can have on a piece.  But don't stop there, go on and listen to other pianists - make notes and compare. Rubenstein is quite good for the nocturnes.