What is sustain for?

[flecherd]

I'm really new to playing. And most of the songs I'm trying to learn dont play well on my keyboard because the notes only last as long as my fingers are on my keys so. Would a sustain pedal help or is it for something else.
I tried google, but it didn't help at all.

[Bob]

Yes, get one. 

On a keyboard it is just an on/off switch.  It will hold the notes "on" after you lift your fingers off the keys.

On a piano it lifts up a bar with felt that keeps the strings from sounding.  So when the pedal is down, the bar is up, and the notes "sustain" their sound.  It does that for all the notes.  whatever you hit rings.  Eventually it does die away when the string vibrations fade away.  The upper notes don't have the sustain bar covering them because they don't sound that long anyway. 

But yes, get one.  If you're just starting, you need to get your foot coordinated.  It won't be quite the same, but it's better than nothing.

When the sustain pedal is down, it lifts the bar off all the strings.  Some of the other strings will vibrate in symphathy with whatever note is struck, so the pedal affects the sound too.  Not on a keyboard though.  Not like that.

There are also variations in the pedal.  You can half pedal, quarter pedal, flutter pedal, etc.  It's just controllling how that bar sits, lifts off, or comes back on the the strings.  An on/off switch won't have that.

There are little box-like pedals for keyboards that are about $15.  Then there are more piano styled pedals for about $30.  Search for keyboard pedal.  Find a music business.  Or go to a music business.  Those things can pretty much be bought off the shelf.  It's just a switch.

[gyzzzmo]

Btw, you also might think about how you want to play piano in the future. If you just want to be able to play some chords and ugly music, you can stick to your keyboard+sustain pedal. If you want more than that, you need at least a good digital piano.