Is there a pedal that allows just one hand to be sustained?

[electricboobs]

I know it's a funny question in the sense that the piano doesn't know where yours hands are. But wouldn't it be cool to have a feature that would allow you to select a note in advance of playing, that would tell the piano where the division point is. Generally your left hand is nearly always in a certain area.

I often find myself playing things in the right hand and thinking that they'd sound good if I could have sustain in that hand only and just use a few thuds (unsustained) with the right hand. Is there anyway of doing this, apart from having a separate keyboard above your main piano/keyboard?

I've taken to this kind of style of play (0:29 onwards) a lot when messing around on the piano. He's obviously playing without pedal, but what if you wanted to play things like this with some sustain in the right hand?

It was also when watching a particular part of the below performance that made me think about this.

Between 4:07-4:08, I'm also not sure what he he does with the pedal for that right hand run. It made me wonder, if I just had sustain in the right hand only, could I get it to sound like he plays it. Now I've no doubt that's not what he's doing, but when I try it using the sustain pedal for the chord change, it sounds too much; but when I use no sustain it sounds too empty. It's as if he has it somewhere in between. It might have something to do with the fact he has three pedals on his piano, and I just have one pedal. As far as I can tell the right hand (RH) plays:

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D F# (DF#) (EG) A B A
Perhaps what I'm talking about might be somewhat like the opposite of the sostenuto pedal effect... that allows unsustained notes to be played over a sustained chord.

Thanks for reading

[thorn]

The piano in the second video has a bright tone which, combined with the room and recording device, is creating a slight echo effect in the upper notes. It doesn't sound like he's using much pedal at all to me, and definitely not the third pedal.

[keypeg]

Wouldn't the middle pedal allow you to play unsustained notes over a sustained chord?

[themeandvariation]

"Wouldn't the middle pedal allow you to play unsustained notes over a sustained chord?"

No. The middle pedal, the sostenuto pedal, can only hold notes which are already depressed before the sostenuto pedal is depressed. If there are moving notes in the RH, the ones which aren't initially struck will not have sustain. This is what the OP was wanting to happen. Also, usually the sostenuto pedal only affects notes up to C above middle C. And sometimes, not even that high.
I think ELECTRICBOOBS (surely a not so clever play on Elton's 'electric boots' - in "Benny and the Jets") might be up a creek without a pedal on this one.

[themeandvariation]

To the OP - if you want sustain - just use the sustain . Of course it would affect both hands, but hey, it's just rocknroll.
Besides, he probably used the sustain in the original recording, (was that on the album, "Yellow Brick Road"? ) Check it out!

[lelle]

It sounds like reverb in the recording to me, possible added in post production. Alternatively, pedal is slightly depressed instead of fully. But it sounds more like reverb to me.

[electricboobs]

"Wouldn't the middle pedal allow you to play unsustained notes over a sustained chord?"

No. The middle pedal, the sostenuto pedal, can only hold notes which are already depressed before the sostenuto pedal is depressed. If there are moving notes in the RH, the ones which aren't initially struck will not have sustain. This is what the OP was wanting to happen. Also, usually the sostenuto pedal only affects notes up to C above middle C. And sometimes, not even that high.
I think ELECTRICBOOBS (surely a not so clever play on Elton's 'electric boots' - in "Benny and the Jets") might be up a creek without a pedal on this one.

Thanks,

You'd think people would want this effect. I'm sure if I was a famous enough pianist they'd create a piano with this feature on it.

Anyway, I'd like to know exactly what the last few note of the run between 4:52 and 4:55 are? It's something like what I have below. I've brackets where I suspect two notes are being held at once.

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C B A B C D E F E D E F (DF) (DF) G (EGC)
The alternative way of doing it would be to continue going higher with the last few notes, but this seems liek too obvious a thing to do.

Code: [Select]

C B A B C D E F E D E F G A B

[electricboobs]

It sounds like reverb in the recording to me, possible added in post production. Alternatively, pedal is slightly depressed instead of fully. But it sounds more like reverb to me.

This definitely wasn't shot in one take. You can see him holding the wrong notes in certain parts. At 4:49 he hits B (as well as C) with his LH. At 4:47 you don't see him hit the Ab and Gb notes that you hear played before the F note that you do see him hit. And at 4:52 you see him hit (GC) but you only hear the G.

[electricboobs]

The piano in the second video has a bright tone which, combined with the room and recording device, is creating a slight echo effect in the upper notes. It doesn't sound like he's using much pedal at all to me, and definitely not the third pedal.

Well he's sostenuto definitely holding the pedal at 4:55.

So in other words he's not as good a piano player as he sounds here?! if he didn't have such effects he'd have to use the pedal appropriately to get a sound sound to it.

[electricboobs]

if you want sustain - just use the sustain . Of course it would affect both hands, but hey, it's just rocknroll.

I know, but then how come rock sounds so good with all the mistakes? Always sounds like the way it should!

It's not that simple as using sustain if you want sustain for me. I go through pieces I've mastered with my hands and plan where I'll use the pedal to make it sound better. Even though I've it planned, the foot will sometimes seem to have a mind of its own... for example it might re-apply to the pedal just because there's a chord change even though that's not what I might want.

Besides, he probably used the sustain in the original recording, (was that on the album, "Yellow Brick Road"? ) Check it out!

I'm not talking about the title of the song he's performing. I was talking about the improv section before the song starts.