Using the sustain pedal in Für Elise

[pbryld]

Hello. I recently started playing piano (3 months ago) and have been practicing Für Elise.
I know the piece completely by heart now, including the sustain pedal.
Though, in the sheets I have, there are no directions to using the pedal in the legato-part (I hope you know what I mean).
It probably means that the pedal shouldn't be used, but I'm asking here anyway, if someone could make it sound better than it already does.

Thanks in advance!

[fleetfingers]

In my copy, it says to press the pedal for the duration of each left-hand arpeggio, releasing it each time the right hand begins to play.

[pbryld]

Is there a chance you could send me those parts of the sheet music? :-)

[lars_o]

I just came across this thread because I was also just wondering about pedaling in "Für Elise"...

In the Henle edition that I have, there are pedal marks for the first section, but when that theme is repeated after the F-maj section, there are no pedal marks. Also, when it occurs for the third time, there are also no pedal marks.

I assume that the pedal marks are just not written out for readability and pedaling is implied to occur as in the beginning. Would you think that is a sound interpretation? Is it common to do this?

In the Breitkopf&Härtel edition available at imslp.org ( https://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/usimg/9/90/IMSLP51818-PMLP14377-Beethoven_Werke_Breitkopf_Serie_25_No_298_WoO_59_Fuer_Elise.pdf ) There are pedal marks almost everywhere for the "main theme". Only when the A-minor part is repeated just before the D-minor part (during the second overall occurrence of the main section) there are no pedal marks indicated - what could one make of that?

Cheers,
Lars

[gyzzzmo]

Since you know this piece by heart and can probably play it with your eyes closed, you should do Exactly that.
Listen very carefully to yourself and use the pedal to make it sound even smoother, but without chords mixing up.

The sustain pedal is a subjective tool for finetuning the performance of a piece wich cant be dictated by a composer. Because how and when it should be used depends on the performer, the piano and the accoustics.

[pbryld]

I had problems with the pedal in the first but that stands out form the main theme.
It hasn't been a problem for a while though, it quickly got a lot easier when i experimented with the pedal without any assistance.

[ingunite]

I have seen such leadfeet recently (no, not you!), that I could not help putting in my two cents' worth of general remarks regarding pedal use. Forgive me if you know all this and are an pedal expert already.
As a rule of thumb, less is more. If you do not have a good sound quality when you play the piece without the pedal, do not use the pedal. Work on the piece without the pedal until you achieve quality performance. Then add pedal. Pedal should be the icing on the cake, not a crutch to mask a poor performance. Be very precise. Press it right after you press the keys, and do not keep it pressed too long. Follow the markings. Be very judgmental. Above all, do not muddy the composition thinking yourself a great improver.
Sorry about the rant, just happened to listen today to two kids whose pedal use was abhorrent.
I felt very much like crawling underneath the piano stool and manually pressing and releasing their feet at the right time with my hands. Now that would freak them out, but might also be a very effective learning tool! Has anyone tried it?