Hi

Has anyone got anyadvice on how to pedal well?!!! I have to use both pedals for my grade 4 piece Watchman's song and it sounds really awful when I use them! I find it hard using the left pedal then having to release it then use the right pedal!!! anyone help!!

Nat

um wot i do is put a little line above the notes where i need to pedal. find the beat tht shud be where u lift the pedal(i think) good luck with your exam

I used to put the lines above to tell me where to pedal, but it depends on which piano you're playing. I have a digital one, and ended up having to practice pedalling on a school piano because it was so different. And then one of the comments on the exam sheet was that pedalling was blurred at times!!
Try and get onto the exam piano before your exam and practice, and good luck with your exam!

Pedalling on a stage piano (for those who don't know, a stage piano is, in essence, a single voice electric keyboard with weighted keys) with a plastic pedal (as opposed to a realised one) leaves one with a not strong enough movement in ones heel, and also leads to playing very heavy handedly

QUOTE

I find it hard using the left pedal then having to release it then use the right pedal

Sounds like driving !

The thing to be careful of with the sustain pedal is to make sure that you have clean joins: make sure that you don't pedal too soon hence catching notes from the previous chord which will leave you with an unpleasant sound (perhaps what you described as 'awful'); but don't forget to make sure that you're not too late so that you miss the notes that you want to sustain. I think that it's just a matter of practice.

Yes it does sound like driving!!- difference is I can do it when i drive!!!lol

I tend to keep the right pedal down when pressing the left pedal for some reason!!!and then it sounds a complete mess!!

I practice for atleast an hour a day so im sure between now and June I will get it right, although i seem to be forever having problems with this piece!!!

Thanks

Nat

Natalie, do you depress the right pedal for the triplets in bars 26, 30 etc?

I know somebody who insists it sounds better without and am curious to hear other people's idea.

Hi Debbie

My teacher has told me to press the left pedal for all those seven arpeggio note things!!! then release it and press the right pedal for the triplets, 1st beat, 3rd beat of the next bar and then again for the semibreve notes in bars 28, 32 etc. hope that makes sense!!

I think it sounds bad with the pedal but then im not very good with the pedal so maybe its just me!!

Nat

My teacher always says to change pedals at a change of chords.

or when u feel its too ''noisy''. one should be able to know when it is too noisy, she says its ''naturally instilled in a pianist''

and also, hit the note, then change the pedal. ie. u haf to ''catch'' the new note with the pedal.

any other pedallin advice?

I dunno... I just pedal when i feel like it.. i follow those lil lines most of the times... but what i do... i listen to recordings and cds of the pros doing it and mark in the lines when THEY pedal *coz it's not hard to tell*... i dunno... if things get messy.. i use less pedaling... it's also like cooking... *in some weird twisted <xiaoxiao> way*

Hi i was told to do change pedle affter every chord but i have been playing mozart`s sonata in g K283 but i cant get it right in bars16 - 21 im not know if that part even needs a pedle bars 31 -34 sound abit wierd with ped to