half pedal

[drazh]

hi
Would you please explain what is half pedal?or even quarter pedal?
as far as i know the mechanismof pedal is on and of
thank you

[rachmaninoff_forever]

as far as i know the mechanismof pedal is on and of

Nope!  Well for a digital piano yes, but acoustic no. 

You can regulate how far you lift the dampers from the strings by how far you press down the pedal.  A quarter pedal means you lift the dampers a quarter of it's potential height off the strings.  A half pedal means lifting the damper half it's potential height, etc...  It creates a different effect as oppose to flooring the pedal and muddling the notes; a quarter pedal won't be as muddy as a full pedal.  I hope that makes sense. 

And I'm also assuming you're talking about the right pedal.

[drazh]

dear rachmaninoff_forever
yes i mean right pedal. this pedal lift the dampers and what is the difference between  how much this  distance  is.?
there is no damper and sound continues
thank you

[rachmaninoff_forever]

dear rachmaninoff_forever
yes i mean right pedal. this pedal lift the dampers and what is the difference between  how much this  distance  is.?
there is no damper and sound continues
thank you

try this:

Floor the pedal all the way down and play a bunch of notes and listen.
Then quarter pedal it and play the same bunch of notes and listen.

You will notice the difference; when you floor the pedal, it sounds all muddy.  But when you quarter pedal it, not so much.

And there's also the ever so slight amount of time it takes for the damper to get on the strings once you release the pedal.  If you have the pedal all the way down, since it's higher in the air, it will take a little more time for the sound to go away as oppose to having the pedal half way down because it's higher, so it has to travel more distance to stop the strings vibration.  It's barely noticeable, but it's still noticable. 

[iansinclair]

Rach's absolutely right, and it is a very useful effect. I, for example, am I a hopeless iconoclast and play only for my own pleasure -- no teacher involved.  And so, for the rapid sixteenth broken arpeggios in the A section of Schubert Op. 90 No. 4, I use about a quarter pedal; it isn't a full sustain, as flooring the pedal would be (which would be hopelessly muddy), but it isn't, either.  Just a sort of nice blend.

[j_menz]

All correct so far. My only addition is a suggestion that you play around with it trying out the different effects you can achieve.

My understanding is that upper level DPs do have the effect. I also believe it works better on grands than on uprights.

[faulty_damper]

If you have an acoustic, you can open the cover and look at the dampers as they tough the strings when you step on the pedal.  That will show you what is meant by half-pedal, etc.

[ajspiano]

I might add that when we say half-pedal, or quarter pedal..  that it represents how the dampers effect the strings (as in there is a definable effect on the sound which you must become sensitive to), and that because pianos differ it will not necessarily align with moving your foot half of the entire pedals range of motion.

[werq34ac]

Screw this half pedal and quarter pedal crap. There is an infinitely many number of levels pedals you can use. Half pedal and quarter pedal are just approximations. In the end, pedal is just what "sounds right." You adjust the level of the pedal according to what you hear. If it's too murky, you use shallower pedals and more frequent pedals and if it is too dry, then you use deeper less frequent pedals.

My teacher always says good pedaling is a combination of the fingers, the feet, and and the ears.

[drazh]

hi
yes you are right the sound will be different  with  different  level s of pedal  .even  when  you don't release  it. but I can't  understand  why?
maybe  when  damper sponge s are near the pedal  the sound  Changes
thank you

[werq34ac]

Never mind why, it just does. Just try it out and you will notice a difference. There is a direct relationship between depth of pedal and the sustenance of the sound.


The pedal is used for more than sustaining a sound. It adds more resonance as well. Play a single note with pedal and it will sound far more resonant than a note without pedal. This is because when you play that note with pedal, the harmonics of the other strings will ring. Try this, hold down a note without making it sound and then play the same note one octave higher. You will notice that although the damper for the high note is stopping the string from vibrating, the note is still ringing.

[j_menz]

hi
yes you are right the sound will be different  with  different  level s of pedal  .even  when  you don't release  it. but I can't  understand  why?
maybe  when  damper sponge s are near the pedal  the sound  Changes
thank you

The dampers are made of felt, which is a reasonably soft material. The greater the pressure of it on the strings the more it stops them vibrating, the lesser the pressure the more freely they vibrate.

Werq is right, though. You needn't worry about the mechanics. You control the sound, not the mechanics.

[asuhayda]

All correct so far. My only addition is a suggestion that you play around with it trying out the different effects you can achieve.

My understanding is that upper level DPs do have the effect. I also believe it works better on grands than on uprights.

Just to add to this.. I have a Boston GP-178PE. I can actually feel when I've hit quarter vs half vs full pedal.  The Quarter pedal is very easy to press down, but you hit a point where the pedal gets noticebly heavier.. that change is the half pedal point.  Obviously, pressing the pedal all the way down is the full pedal position.  Honestly,  I rarely do this now and it screws me up when I play on a less sophisticated piano.