The "Other" Pedals

[practice]

Every pianist I've spoken with tells me that they use only the sustain pedal (right-most pedal), and some say that the other pedals are unnecessary because their effect can be achieved by simply having good technique. Is this really always true? If no one uses them, then what the heck are they there for? O_O

[pianowolfi]

What "pianists" have you spoken to?

[Petter]

Are there any upright pianos with Sostenuto pedal? I'd kill for one!

[ahinton]

Are there any upright pianos with Sostenuto pedal? I'd kill for one!

Check out Mason & Hamlin and Bösendorfer but please try to avoid committing murder as a direct consequence of what you may find by so doing...

Best,

Alistair

[communist]

you use the sosteneuto pedal to hold one chord or note without anything else (which you can obviously not do otherwise) and the una corda is to lighten your tone (which is helpful).

[pianowolfi]

The "una corda" is a totally different thing on grands than on uprights. On grands it's a different colour of sound, actually a whole world in itself, on uprights it's, as communist said, rather a mean to lighten your tone, which can be indeed very helpful, as most uprights can't have the fine respondence of a grand.

[hey_jude98]

I think they're just foot rest

[practice]

On our grand piano I find that I have to push down on the sustenuto pedal (middle pedal) just right while playing a chord for it to work. If I push down too lightly or too heavily, then it doesn't sustain the whole chord. Does my piano suck or am I just too noob?

[pianowolfi]

The sostenuto pedal needs to be pushed after you have pressed the respective keys down and while you are holding them. Otherwise it doesn't work properly.

[richard black]

The left pedal on uprights is neither use nor ornament - except that you can sort of use it to practise just the motions of your left foot for later use on a grand. But you can do that with just fresh air under your foot too. It doesn't change the tone of the piano at all but it does screw up the touch.

A sostenuto pedal is a very useful thing. Yamaha fits it on some large uprights, though it's a bit unreliable and slightly affects the touch, and I believe some of the upmarket German uprights are also available with it - don't recall ever trying one.

[practice]

The sostenuto pedal needs to be pushed after you have pressed the respective keys down and while you are holding them. Otherwise it doesn't work properly.

Thanks for clearing that up!

Question for grand piano users: How often do you guys use the sustenuto and una corda pedals? In what kinds of pieces and in what situations are they effective? Any other advice for using these pedals? Thanks!

[Petter]

Sostenuto in alot of Debussy.
 R. Black, what Yamaha models have Sostenuto?

[pianowolfi]

Thanks for clearing that up!

Question for grand piano users: How often do you guys use the sustenuto and una corda pedals? In what kinds of pieces and in what situations are they effective? Any other advice for using these pedals? Thanks!

There is no general answer. The answer that might come closest to a general answer: Listen.

[practice]

Okay, I will try and listen

[anne126]

I use the soft pedal a lot in Bach Fugues.

And the middle pedal is helpful for the tempest sonata.

[unicornxgirl]

oh i wish there was a sostenuto pedel on an upright... i deperately need one and my parents can't afford a grand...

[Bob]

I've used the sostenuto pedal at least once for a piece.  Maybe two or three times (Debussy), but I know of one for sure.

On a lot of the pianos I've seen that have them (uprights, usually Yamaha), you could call them the "broken" pedal.  They never seem to work.

[quantum]

Question for grand piano users: How often do you guys use the sustenuto and una corda pedals? In what kinds of pieces and in what situations are they effective? Any other advice for using these pedals? Thanks!

Una corda: almost everything!  I like my color and I like it bold.  Of course this doesn't mean I have it down all the time, just that I like to use the resources of my piano to their max potential.  

Sostenuto: so far only in a couple 20th century pieces and my improvisations.  Actually one piece I played preferred a brick on the keys as opposed to holding down the sostenuto.  

[Bob]

Careful... You'll wear in the soft pedal felts and it will sound different.

[quantum]

I bash the keys enough without the Una Corda, so I guess that gets relative use towards the wear of the entire hammer.  Anyways I don't try to play forte with una corda, as I am quite conscious of wearing out those soft felts.  

[aslanov]

i think the Kawai K5 uprite has a sustain pedal too. not sure about the K number, but i know there is a K by Kawai with a sustain pedal.

[fenz]

Thanks for clearing that up!

Question for grand piano users: How often do you guys use the sustenuto and una corda pedals? In what kinds of pieces and in what situations are they effective? Any other advice for using these pedals? Thanks!

Some composers wrote an indication when we should use una corda pedal... I don't know about sostenuto pedal.

[ladyfingers]

My teacher told me that  in Jazz the sustenuto pedal is used to create a technique like having an extra hand. A three handed technique. It allows for greater flexibility of voicing and harminizing. You play the notes, and push the pedal down before you let them up, then you can play other notes and those are held for you as if you had a third hand playing, (or fourth).