ANATOMY OF A PIANO
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PEDALS
GRAND PIANOS
Grand pianos have three pedals. The right pedal is called the ‘damper’ or ‘sustain’ pedal. When depressed it lifts the dampers from the strings, so any notes struck on the keyboard will continue to sound, until the pedal is released.
On some grand pianos the middle pedal is a bass sustain pedal that when depressed lifts all the bass dampers simultaneously.
However, on the majority of grand pianos the middle pedal is a ‘sostenuto’ pedal that, when depressed, will sustain a note or chord without affecting the rest of the keyboard.
The left ‘una corda’ pedal moves the entire action to one side so that a piano’s hammer only strikes two of the three strings that go into making each note, or one of the two strings available on the lower notes. This results in a different tone and also makes the piano a little quieter.
UPRIGHT PIANOS
The right pedal of an upright piano functions in exactly the same way as the right pedal on a grand piano. This ‘damper’ or ‘sustain’ pedal is the one used the most.
On some upright pianos the middle pedal is a ‘practise’ pedal, which lowers a thin strip of felt between the hammer and the strings, resulting in a much quieter performance.
The left pedal is the ‘soft’ pedal that moves the hammers closer to the strings, and since the hammers have less distance to travel, the speed at which they strike the strings is reduced so the volume is less, but it does not change the tonal quality of the piano, unlike the ‘una corda’ pedal on a grand piano. |
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