3 Pedals!

[queenrock]

Hi, i'm learning Liszt's consolation no. 3 in D flat major and i need to use all three pedals and occassionaly at the same time. The problem is i don't have 3 feet and i don't think my toungue will reach down there so how is this possible???!!!

[communist]

ZoMG tHReE peDeLS

[thierry13]

Play two pedals with one feet on its side? You play one with your heal and the other one with your toes!

[mad_max2024]

Throw a heavy rock on the middle pedal at the appropriate time.

[allthumbs]

Hire a troll or thal, although they may not be mutually exclusive.

[thierry13]

Hire a troll or thal, although they may not be mutually exclusive.

Or you.

[allthumbs]

Or you.

Drôle.

[mad_max2024]

You may also consider training your dog to press it on demand.

[tanman]

or maybe grow a 3rd foot... wait... that just sounded wrong 

[eminemvsrach]

do you really step on the middle pedal? I never use that one and it will surely sound weird for the sound to be suddenly muffled (if there's such word) during a performance.

Anyways that's only my opinion! Feel free to comment

[richard black]

Liszt didn't notate the Consolation for 3 pedals, of course (the sostenuto hadn't been invented at the time!), so you can omit that one on grounds of authenticity. Otherwise there are two ways to use three pedals at once - I've done both:

1 Put leather pedal covers on the pedals (goodness only knows where you buy these, a friend owns a set) and this will give the extra width to the pedals that allows you to rock one foot sideways on two pedals. It's certainly easier if the pedals are close together, as on American Steinways.

2 Use heel and toe, which is agony as it means bending your leg into a most unnatural position.

[dana_minmin]

I don't think you need 3 pedals at the same time. I'd prefer to play ppp at the beginning purely by technique, without the use of soft pedal.

I tried to use the soft pedal, but it sounds dull. You can't pedal once on it for the whole piece right?

[queenrock]

Hey thanks for the responses, (well actually almost all of you were useless but thanks anyway, lol).

Liszt didn't notate the Consolation for 3 pedals, of course (the sostenuto hadn't been invented at the time!), so you can omit that one on grounds of authenticity.

Ar, I didn't realise that maybe i just won't bother using the middle pedal then, it's just that it seems as if it should use that pedal because there are long pedal notes but changing harmonies above so it sounds a bit clashy if i just use the sustain. Or is that just how it is meant to be done?

[richard black]

Or is that just how it is meant to be done?

Hard to say - pianos sounded very different in 1848. Experiment....

[jinfiesto]

Uh... You can use your left foot to pedal both the Sostenuto and the Una Corda simultaneously. Assuming you have an average size foot, place your foot between the pedals, and you can control both by moving it both up and down, and by rocking it from side to side.