Pedal Technique

[matt_black]

How little / how much / what technique / should be applied [pedal use] for ragtime classics such as Maple leaf Rag and the Entertainer Fig Leaf Rag etc..

[ayahav]

when I played the Maple Leaf Rag (way long ago....) I used to pedal every two beats (that is, until the bass chord changes).... cheers.

[monk]

A really swinging way to pedal is: On the first eighth (bass note) pedal down, on the second (chord) pedal up. So it sounds Boo-Dak-Boo-Dak....(The "Dak" can be accented more, so you have an effect like a snare drum or hi-hat on 2 & 4).
Of course that doesn't apply for passages where the regular sequence bass note - chord - bass note - chord... is discontinued.