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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

PEDAGOGY OF PIANO PEDALING

By

Yipeng Liu

A DOCTORAL ESSAY

Submitted to the Faculty

of the University of Miami

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts

Coral Gables, Florida

May 2020

©2020

Yipeng Liu

All Rights Reserved

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

A doctoral essay submitted in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Musical Arts

PEDAGOGY OF PIANO PEDALING

Yipeng Liu

Approved:

________________ _________________

Naoko Takao, D.M.A. Santiago E Rodriguez, M.M.

Associate Professor of Keyboard Performance Professor of Keyboard

Performance

________________ _________________

Ying Tian, M.M. Guillermo Prado, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Keyboard Performance Dean of the Graduate School

________________

Gary Alan Wood, M.M.

Professor of Practice of Music Media and Industry

LIU, YIPENG (D.M.A., Keyboard Performance and Pedagogy)

(May 2020)

Pedagogy of Piano Pedaling.

Abstract of a doctoral essay at the University of Miami.

Doctoral essay supervised by Professor Naoko Takao.

No. of pages in text. (99).

This project aims to serve as a practical pedagogical guide on pedaling for teachers.

Incorporating findings from a survey of literature and using musical examples, the project

will examine teaching strategies for pedal teaching from its introduction. Suggested

approaches to teaching pedaling include using a more thoughtful and systematic pedal

training regimen early in a students’ training career to allow for more comprehensive

pianistic development including the pedal as an integral asset. The main components of the

project consist of the following: 1) a comparison and consolidation of essential suggestions

following a survey of the existing resources of the pedal technique, to be presented in an

order from the most basic (pedal press and release, the depths of pedal, simultaneous pedal,

syncopated pedal) to more creative pedal techniques; 2) suggested use of pedal exercises

to supplement the introduction of selected pedal techniques within the musical context of

beginner and intermediate levels; and 3) selection of appropriate music examples from

standard repertoires for introduction of selected pedal techniques. It is hoped that this

project will inspire teachers to become more confident in the process of teaching pedaling,

to guide their students to experiment with the use of the pedal more gradually and

comprehensively so that they become more creative with the myriad possibilities of sound

effects with the instrument.

iii

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I am sincerely grateful to my advisor, Professor Naoko Takao, for

her constant and expert guidance throughout the writing process of this dissertation. Her

valuable suggestions, detailed comments and nuanced writing suggestions have kept me

motivated throughout this project. I am also grateful to each of her invaluable piano lessons:

her profound knowledge and rigorous attitude have always inspired me to move forward

during my time as a D.M.A student. She is a role model for me, to learn from and to emulate

for the rest of my life.

I would like to thank every member of my committee, Professor Santiago Rodriguez,

Professor Tian Ying, and Professor Gary Wood. I would like to especially thank Professor

Tian Ying, for each of his passionate and inspiring piano lessons. His refined and exacting

musical taste has greatly helped to improve my piano performance.

I would like to thank my parents, for their unconditional support and endless love.

Without them, I would not be able to finish my studies in the United States. I would like to

thank my friends in Miami for their friendship and encouragement over the years. I would

like to thank my husband, Dr. Weiming Wan, for his love, support and companionship.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF EXAMPLES ................................................................................................... v

LIST OF TERMINOLOGIES .................................................................................... viii

Chapter

1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1

2 Literature Review............................................................................................... 6

3 Basic Information of the Damper Pedal........................................................... 16

The Damper Pedal ............................................................................................ 16

The Mechanical Principle of Pedal .................................................................. 19

Position of the Foot .......................................................................................... 20

Pedal Indications .............................................................................................. 21

4 Preliminary Introduction of Pedal Control ...................................................... 26

Pedal Depression and Release .......................................................................... 26

Simultaneous Pedal .......................................................................................... 28

Controlling the Depth of the Damper Pedal ..................................................... 36

Gradual Pedal Depression and Release ............................................................ 38

5 Pedal Techniques and Exercises ...................................................................... 41

Syncopated Pedal ............................................................................................. 41

Anticipatory Pedal ............................................................................................ 53

Staccato Pedal ................................................................................................... 59

Half-damping (Quarter Pedal) .......................................................................... 69

Half-pedaling .................................................................................................... 75

Flutter pedal .................................................................................................. 77

Partial Release of the Damper Pedal ............................................................ 82

Finger Pedaling ................................................................................................ 83

6 Conclusion. ...................................................................................................... 90

Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 97

v

LIST OF EXAMPLES

Example 3. 1. 1. Demonstration on How Pedal Prolong the Notes ............................. 17

Example 3. 1. 2. Demonstration on How Pedal Prolong the Notes ............................. 17

Example 3. 1. 3. Demonstration on How Pedal Connect the Notes ............................ 18

Example 3. 1. 4. Demonstration on How Pedal Collect the Notes .............................. 18

Example 3. 3. 1. Pedal Extender .................................................................................. 21

Example 3. 4. 1. Pedal Indication ................................................................................ 22

Example 3. 4. 2. Schmitt’s Pedal Indication ................................................................ 23

Example 3. 4. 3. Arthur Whiting’s Pedal Indication .................................................... 24

Example 3. 4. 4. Colin Taylor’s Pedal Indication ........................................................ 24

Example 4. 1. 1. Exercise for Pedal Depression .......................................................... 28

Example 4. 2. 1. Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 1: Katherine Faricy, Artistic Pedal

Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists. .......... 30

Example 4. 2. 2. Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 2: Samuel Maykapar, Selections from

Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes: Piano Solos by Master Composers

of the Period. Prelude No. 1. ............................................................. 31

Example 4. 2. 3. Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 3: Ferdinand Beyer, Elementary

Instruction Book for the Pianoforte, Op. 101, No. 62. ...................... 32

Example 4. 2. 4. Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 4: Alfred Mirovitch, The Pedal: The Soul

of The Piano. ..................................................................................... 33

Example 4. 2. 5. Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 5: Frank Marshall, La Sonoridad Del

Piano. No. 27. .................................................................................... 34

Example 4. 2. 6. Simultaneous Pedal Application at Advanced Level: Robert Schumann,

Symphonic Etude, Op. 13. ................................................................ 35

Example 4. 2. 7. Simultaneous Pedal Application at Advanced Level: Sergei

Rachmaninoff, Op. 16, No. 4. ........................................................... 36

Example 4. 4. 1. Exercise for Gradually Depressing the Pedal ................................... 40

Example 4. 4. 2. Exercise for Gradually Depressing the Pedal ................................... 40

Example 5. 1. 1. The Earliest Evidence for Syncopated Pedaling: Muzio Clementi,

Fantasia Variations, “Au Clair De La Lune,” Op. 48. ....................... 42

Example 5. 1. 2. Enrique Granados’s Notes-Subdivision. ........................................... 44

Example 5. 1. 3. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 1 ............................................................ 45

Example 5. 1. 4. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 2: Angela Diller and Elizabeth Quaile,

First Pedal-studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises and

Pieces. ............................................................................................... 46

Example 5. 1. 5. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 3: Bela Bartok, Mikrokosmos, Vol.1, No.

17. ...................................................................................................... 47

Example 5. 1. 6. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 4: Alfred Mirovitch, The Pedal: The Soul

of The Piano. ..................................................................................... 48

Example 5. 1. 7. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 5: Louis Kohler, Practial Piano Method,

vi

Op. 300, No. 84. ................................................................................ 48

Example 5. 1. 8. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 6: Samuel Maykapar, Selections from

Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes: Piano Solos by Master Composers

of the Period, No. 5. .......................................................................... 49

Example 5. 1. 9. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 7: Agatha Pfeiffer, Pedal Studies for

Pianoforte, No. 25. ............................................................................ 51

Example 5. 1. 10. Syncopated Pedal’s Application at Advanced Level: Franz Liszt,

Sonnet 104 del Petrarca, S.161, No. 5. ............................................. 53

Example 5. 2. 1. Anticipatory Pedal Exercise 1: Angela Diller and Elizabeth Quaile,

First Pedal-Studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises and Pieces.

........................................................................................................... 55

Example 5. 2. 2. Anticipatory Pedal Exercise 2: Angela Diller and Elizabeth Quaile,

First Pedal-Studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises and Pieces.

........................................................................................................... 56

Example 5. 2. 3. Anticipatory Pedal Exercise 3: Dmitri Kabalevsky, 24 Pieces for

Children, Op. 39, No. 13. .................................................................. 57

Example 5. 2. 4. Anticipatory Pedal Application at Advanced Level: Ludwig van

Beethoven, Piano Sonata Op.81a, First Movement. ......................... 58

Example 5. 3. 1. Staccato Pedal Exercise 1: Dmitri Kabalevsky, 24 Pieces for Children,

Op. 39, No. 7. .................................................................................... 60

Example 5. 3. 2. Staccato Pedal Exercise 3: Bela Bartok, For Children, Sz. 42, No.

40. ......................................................................................................62

Example 5. 3. 3. Staccato Pedal Exercise 4: Bela Bartok, For Children, Sz. 42, No. 32.

........................................................................................................... 63

Example 5. 3. 4. Staccato Pedal Exercise 5: Kabalevsky, Dmitri. 24 Pieces for Children,

Op. 39, No. 17. .................................................................................. 63

Example 5. 3. 5. Staccato Pedal Exercise 6: Harry Farjeon, The Art of Piano Pedaling.64

Example 5. 3. 6. Staccato Pedal’s Application at Advanced Level: Johannes Brahms,

Op. 118, No. 3. .................................................................................. 66

Example 5. 3. 7. Syncopated Pedal, Simultaneous Pedal and Staccato Pedal: Samuel

Maykapar, Selections from Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes: Piano

Solos by Master Composers of the Period. No. 14. ..........................67

Example 5. 4. 1. Half-Damping Exercise 1: Carl Czerny, Op 849, No.6. ...................71

Example 5. 4. 2. Half-Damping Exercise 2: Carl Czerny, Op 849, No.22. .................72

Example 5. 4. 3. Half-Damping Exercise 3: Harry Farjeon, The Art of Piano Pedaling.73

Example 5. 4. 4. Half-damping Application at Advanced Level: Sergei Rachmaninoff,

Op. 16, No. 1. ....................................................................................74

Example 5. 5. 1. Flutter Pedal Exercise 1 ....................................................................78

Example 5. 5. 2. The Motion Area of the Flutter Pedal ...............................................79

Example 5. 5. 3. Flutter Pedal Exercise 2: Friedrich Burgmüller, 25 Progressive

Pieces, Op.100, No.25. ......................................................................81

vii

Example 5. 5. 4. Flutter Pedal Application at Advanced Level: Liszt Sonnet 104 del

Petrarca, S.161, No.5. .......................................................................81

Example 5. 6. 1. Finger Pedaling Exercise 1: Carl Czerny, Op. 849, No. 2 .............85

Example 5. 6. 2. Finger Pedaling Exercise 2: Louis Kohler, Practial Piano Method,

Op.300, No.121. .............................................................................86

Example 5. 6. 3. Finger Pedaling Exercise 3: Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in C

Major. .............................................................................................87

Example 5. 6. 4. Finger Pedaling Application at Advanced Level: Johanne Brahms,

Op. 118, No. 2. ...............................................................................88

viii

LIST OF TERMINOLOGIES AND EQUIVALENCIES

Anticipatory Pedal: acoustic pedal, timbre pedal

Damper pedal: sustaining pedal, prolonging pedal

Flutter pedal: tremolo pedal, vibrating pedal, tremolo half pedal

Gradual pedal release: float-off pedal, pedal diminuendo

Simultaneous Pedal: rhythmic pedal, time-treading, separated pedal

Syncopated pedal: legato pedal, intense pedal

1

Chapter 1. Introduction

When students begin to learn the use of the damper pedal, several selected aspects need

to be introduced carefully by the teacher. Like many other facets of piano playing, a teacher

must strike a balance between being concise and consistent, to not overwhelm the student,

and being cautious not to limit the student from future exploration. It is important that the

student understands the various functions the damper pedal plays in the music, as well as

how and when to use the damper pedal for each effect.

Mastering pedal usage is an ongoing, never ending process: taking a decade to reach a

high level of proficiency, and certain kinds of pedaling techniques may need a lifetime for

it to become part of one’s true artistry. As Chopin said, “To learn to use the pedal correctly

is a lifelong study.”1 Anton Rubinstein said, “The longer I play, the more convinced I am

that the pedal is the soul of the piano. There are places where the pedal means everything.”1

Pedaling not only relies on strictly trained ears with a sensitive musical taste, a good

knowledge of music theory, and a keen sense for varied musical styles, but also on a solid

foundation of pedal training which needs to be built gradually over several years. It is

important to instill in students’ minds early on that pedaling is an integral part of creativity

at the piano. For this process, they should be exposed to a variety of ways in which pedaling

can enhance the music; this can be done through musical examples and guided critical

listening.

1 Reimer Riefling, Piano Pedaling. Trans. Kathleen Dale (London: Oxford University Press, 1962), 1.

2

The teacher should attain a certain level of mastery themselves. Students need to

understand that they should not simply rely on the pedal indications marked on the music,

but also gradually develop the ability to intuitively pedal according to the context of the

music, regardless of the page markings.

Although the above is a fact well acknowledged by experienced performer-pedagogues,

the existing literature discussing pedaling typically focuses on the differentiation of various

pedal techniques; these is a notable gap in the area pedaling pedagogy.

Lack of easily accessible and practical literature on the pedagogy of pedaling is also a

problem. Ideally, the teacher should be aware of and be exposed to the existing literature:

those that provide them with an overview of the various pedaling techniques, pedagogical

discussions in pedal techniques with musical examples, and perhaps even pedal exercises

that can help students attain the necessary basic coordination required for more

sophisticated pedaling techniques. This is much easier said than done because pedaling as

a pedagogy has not attained as much independent focus as other topics, such as finger

training and arm techniques. As such, the majority of the existing discussions on pedaling

are scattered across various pedagogical essays that contain other aspects of piano playing.

There are monographs written on the subject of pedaling, but the number is surprisingly

small; in addition, the lengths of these monographs often make them inaccessible to the

average teacher.

For the average student, acquiring knowledge on the types of pedaling techniques

through reading or through initial introduction lessons tends not to improve their pedaling

3

ability. Students need to receive consistent and continuous guidance in identification and

prioritization of the various pedaling techniques, and be encouraged to continuously

experiment with these techniques.

The existing literature related to pedaling can be divided into three broad categories:

pedal treatises, pedal exercises, and DMA/MM projects. Pedal treatises, already mentioned,

is found among published pedagogical treatises and articles written by famous pianists and

pedagogues. Usually a part of a larger treatise on piano playing, but sometimes in a form

of a monograph dedicated to the art of pedaling, most of these are focused on practical

performance suggestions for the purpose of improving the rendition of a particular

repertoire, thus functioning as a written lesson. While this type of literature is certainly

useful in disseminating the insights of renowned artists, the coverage of the pedaling is

then limited to the chosen focus of the performer-pedagogue and is centered around a

particular repertoire, which is often advanced. There is no doubt that such musical

examples have been meticulously selected and they can accurately illustrate the

pedagogues’ statements and help students improve their understanding. These references

are typically only accessible to advanced students, i.e. students already capable of playing

Beethoven’s piano sonata or Chopin’s etudes; these reference do not address how to

introduce pedaling to students who are at an intermediate- or beginner-level. While an

astute teacher may be able to extract and communicate general concepts to their students,

understanding how to guide students from the fundamentals of pedaling through advanced

techniques is still an important pedagogical challenge. In addition, it is impractical for each

4

instructor to collect and read a large volume of literature in search of the ultimate pedaling

pedagogical process.

The second type of existing literature, pedal exercises, are short musical examples or

compositions written or compiled for the purpose of introducing the basics of pedaling.

When used correctly, these exercises can play an important role in the teaching process.

However, many teachers are not aware of these exercises, and the volume of such pedal

exercises is also limited.

The third type of existing resource useful for pedaling research are DMA or MM

projects. These projects contain good academic research and contain general suggestions

developed from various sources; however, the pedagogical aspect and ordering of the

pedal-technique development need to be discussed more thoroughly.

Clearly, the challenge in determining the proper sequence and the necessary

components for natural and gradual pedal-technique development is not due to the paucity

of existing literature on the subject of pedaling. Rather, the amount of available information

is overwhelming to the average student and teacher. In addition, there is not a systematic

process for pedal instruction that can be used to train novice and intermediate students, i.e.

pianists who are not yet capable of performing the more sophisticated musical contexts

referred to by famous pianist-pedagogues.

This project aims to fill this gap by serving as a practical manual of pedal pedagogy for

teachers. It features a suggested sequence of pedal instruction, including the basic concepts

and usages of each pedal technique, situations to apply each technique, as well as pedaling

5

exercises. This work is arranged to make the teaching process more comprehensive and to

help both teachers and students avoid having to remediate later on.

6

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Three categories of existing literature are reviewed. The first category mainly consists

of the important treatises and articles on pedaling written by performer-pedagogues and

scholars on the subject; the second category focuses on pedal etudes and exercises; the

third category, comprising of a single source thus far, is a dissertation project in the form

of a literature review.

Category 1: The treatises and articles on pedaling by performer-pedagogues and

scholars

Pedaling in Pianoforte Music (1922), written by Algernon H. Lindo, is one of the

most comprehensive books about pedaling and discusses in depth nearly every imaginable

pedaling technique. Short score examples for advanced students are also included. Its main

focus is on general principles and the practical application of the principles. This book

discusses many pedaling techniques, such as: pedaling the common chord; pedaling

isolated chords and consecutive, non-legato chords of different harmonies; syncopated

pedaling; the problems of rest and staccato in relation to pedaling; half-pedaling; and

tremolo pedaling. The most interesting chapter of this book is “some less-known pedal

effects.” This chapter discusses some uncommon uses of the pedal rarely discussed by other

authors and this discussion is most helpful for mature pianists. For instance, the author lists

a less-known effect from the “Moonlight”; silent pressure of notes and chords, diminuendo

improved by silent pressure and pedal release; a solution suggested by means of silent

7

pressure of bass octave; a chord completed by silent pressure; the recapture of an octave

by the same means, etc.

Another classical and comprehensive treatise is by Joseph Banowetz. In his The

Pianist’s Guide to Pedaling (1985), he makes a detailed coverage of pedal techniques.

Banowetz explains legato pedaling, finger pedaling, pedaling melodic material, pedaling

accompaniment figurations, pedaling as an aid to phrasing and articulation, using the pedal

to project rhythm, pedaling and dynamics, blurring for color and special effects, partial

changes of the pedal, flutter or vibrato pedaling, partial releases of damper sound, etc. A

large number of excerpts from the piano literature, at the intermediate and advanced levels,

are used to illustrate each point with clear pedal indications and explanations. The second

part of the book, also valuable for anyone interested in the subject of pedaling, discusses

selected composers’ music and their respective pedaling styles. The composers included

are: Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy and Ravel. For

each, the discussion of the damper pedal is not the only focus, as the sostenuto and soft

pedals are also discussed. In addition, he includes a separate chapter on “Catalan School of

Pedaling,” with a detailed explanation of Enrique Granados and Frank Marshall’s methods

of pedal-teaching.

Teresa Carreño was a great pianist and piano pedagogue. The book Possibilities of

Tone Color by Artistic Use of Pedals: The Mechanism and Action of the Pedals of the Piano

(1919) fully represents her exquisite and delicate teaching style. She explains some

common problems in piano performance, provides detailed instructions on how to reach

8

the different color of sound through the use of the pedal. The contents include how to use

the pedal in chords, in phrasing, in pause, in rest, and in extended chords; the management

of the pedals in passages of thirds; and the different degrees in pressing the right pedal.

Examples are provided to illustrate her points.

Anton Rubinstein always uses concise language to explain complicated pedal

situations clearly. In his Guide to the Proper Use of the Pianoforte Pedals with Examples

Out of the Historical Concerts of Anton Rubinstein (1897), the pedal functions contained

is comprehensive. Besides the “primary” pedal, “secondary” and half-pedal, etc., he also

introduces sixteen pedal functions very briefly with appropriate but advanced examples.

The functions included are: to keep the tone vibrating, to carry on the melody, to carry the

crescendo, to emphasize a certain note or chord, etc. These common functions of the pedal

have also been introduced by other authors. For example, as mentioned earlier, Banowetz’s

The Pianist’s Guide to Pedaling provides more detailed explanations of these functions.

Both Rubinstein’s Guide to the Proper Use of the Pianoforte Pedals with Examples

Out of the Historical Concerts of Anton Rubinstein (1897) and Carreño’s Possibilities of

Tone Color by Artistic Use of Pedals: The Mechanism and Action of the Pedals of the Piano

(1919) are classified by pedal functions, which explained through words and illustrated

with corresponding advanced piano literature examples. Carreño herself is a marvelous

piano teacher, and she distills the complicated pedal problems into two simple words of

“press” and “release.” She starts from these two words to explain all the pedal techniques.

Rubinstein’s explanation on each pedal function goes deeper and is more comprehensive.

9

A comprehensive manual for the use of the damper pedals, Heinrich Gebhard’s The

Art of Piano Pedaling (1963) classifies twenty-two principal functions of damper pedal.

Under each function, short but representative musical examples are extracted to illustrate

the specific function and compare the effects of different pedaling styles. The examples

used in this book are selected from a wide range of repertoires, which is extremely useful,

making it the main feature of the book. The author only provides short notes on each

example, or a brief introduction of a certain pedal function when necessary. In most cases,

the author collects several examples and adds his own detailed pedal marks to manifest one

pedal function. In general, the length of each example is one or two lines. The twenty-two

functions include: syncopated pedal, connecting chords, melodies with passing notes,

blending upper and lower registers, dry and liquid staccatos, sharp and penetrating

staccatos with pedal, and half pedal, etc. It also includes chapters regarding special

composers or musical styles: “Pedaling Bach and His Contemporaries,” “How to Pedal

Haydn, Mozart and Early Beethoven,” “How much pedal in modern piano music,” etc.

This is a good manual for the use of the piano pedal: it serves as a collective volume of

specific performing suggestions for advanced pianists. The division of the pedal functions

of this book may benefit the author’s project, but the musical examples quoted are too

advanced.

Karl Leimer and Walter Gieseking’s Rhythmics, Dynamics, Pedal Playing (1938)

discusses the following three aspects: utilizing the pedal in the attainment of tone volumes;

application of the pedal in attaining legato effects which are impossible with fingers alone;

10

application of the pedal to express characteristic sound differences. Excerpts of

intermediate to advanced-level musical examples are selected and marked with Leimer’s

personal way of pedaling, followed by the descriptions of the ideal sound effect that should

be reached in each musical example.

Other main pedaling techniques include “use of the pedal in scale pages and harmonic

figures,” “use of the pedal with single notes or chords,” “use of the ordinary and tremolo

half-pedal.” Each of these techniques are explained briefly, and supported through several

examples. This book contains 126 music examples, which is the largest number of music

examples among all the existing sources. These examples have been selected from a wide

range of repertoires, making this resource very valuable.

York Bowen’s Pedalling the Modern Pianoforte (1988) is also a good resource even

though its delivery is not as straight forward as Rubinstein’s or Carreño’s. Each chapter

focuses on one common pedaling problem, and a corresponding pedaling technique to be

used in each circumstance to produce the ideal sound effect. Bowen uses a critical tone to

deliver his teaching, describing the typical mistakes in pedaling, then provides a solution

of pedaling to reach the ideal sound effect. The music examples included are for advanced

players.

Elfrieda Hiebert’s article, “Reflections on the Piano, Pedagogical Thought and the

Practice of Pedaling During the Late Nineteenth Century” discusses pedaling in two parts.

The first part of this article focuses on the mechanics of the instrument. In the second part,

she analyzes the creativity and development of nineteenth-century composers’ use of the

11

pedal. Half pedal, dynamic shading, syncopated and rhythmic pedaling began to be used

more frequently by the nineteenth-century composers, music examples of the nineteenth-

century are included to support her viewpoints.

“The Principles of Fingering and Laws of Pedaling” (1908) written by Tobias Matthay

is a nine-page article. Discussions center around three principal factors of the damper-pedal

control: 1) judgement as to when to depress it; 2) judgement as to when to lift it; 3) the

requisite technique of depressing it and lifting it. Matthay introduces each of the following

aspects of the pedal with one or two paragraphs: 1) the descent of the pedal; 2) syncopated

rising of pedal; 3) the pedaling of detached chords; 4) duration of ascent; 5) super-legato

pedaling; 6) speed of ascent; and 7) half-pedaling effects.

Category 2: The pedal etudes and exercises

First Pedal-Studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises and Pieces (1942)

composed by Angela Diller and Quaile Elizabeth is presented in two parts. Part one

includes eight simple exercises, one or two lines each, to train students to follow the pedal

signs and to listen to the quality of the tones. These can be used as introductory pedal

exercises for novice students. Part two also includes eight pedal exercises, again each one

or two lines, but mainly focused on the syncopated pedal: legato playing, expressive

melody playing, and connecting chords. There are some brief instructions to describe the

training goals and how to utilize each exercise. The whole book includes sixteen simple

exercises in total, and is a good introductory book for pedal teaching.

12

For intermediate students, Harry Farjeon’s The Art of Piano Pedaling (1923) and

Alfred Mirovitch’s The Pedal, the Soul of the Piano (1954) are recommended. These two

books generally include pieces which are one or two pages in lenght. As printed on the title

page of Mirovitch’s work, each piece is written with a special teaching purpose in mind;

this purpose is directly stated by the author. These are good exercises, but rely on a highly

competent instructor because the short instructions included usually do not adequately

cover the more nuanced use of the pedal techniques covered. The exercises can be

ineffective without detailed instruction and reference to other in-depth pedal treatises or

dissertations.

Farjeon’s The Art of Piano Pedaling (1923) is a valuable pedal exercise collection,

which can also be used as a pedal textbook for intermediate-level students. The work was

published in two parts, but only the second part can be found today. This portion consists

of seven chapters, with each chapter focusing on one category of pedaling. The seven

categories included are pedaling for legato chords, pedaling to assist the slurring, pedaling

to sustain chords, sustaining bass note below accompaniment chords, half pedaling,

pedaling staccato notes, and special effects. Also included is a half page of “general hints,”

and one pedal exercise written by Farjeon himself. The average length of each exercise is

two pages, suitable for intermediate-level students.

Albino Gorno’s Material for the Study of Pianoforte Pedals (1900) is a pedal exercise

book as well. The first part focuses on the “First (loud) Pedal,” covering the basic technique

in using the damper pedal. This part includes nine exercises for connecting chords, four for

13

connecting tones of the melody, one for legato between hands and feet, one for staccato

effect, nine for sustaining a note or a chord with the pedal while the hand is taken off to

play an accompanying chord, six for super legato which is obtained by continuing a tone

while producing another tone when they belong to one harmony, and three for finger legato

without pedal. The second part, “First and Second (soft) pedal,” contains three exercises

for sustaining acciaccatura. The third part, entitled, “First, second and third (general

sostenuto) pedal,” includes four exercises with combined usages of pedal. There are

specific instructions for each type of pedaling.

Peter Coraqqio’s The Art of Piano Performance: Pedaling, The Soul of the Piano

(1997) is a book written for young children. The content of the whole book can be regarded

as a comic book to incite an interest in the pedal. There are some simple sentences added

to the vivid images to explain some easy principles of the piano pedal. Also, the author

cites some interesting metaphors to guide students to recognize and learn the pedal. The

book explains the mechanical principles of the pedal, introduces some pedaling vocabulary,

such as damper pedal, syncopated pedal, legato pedal (using a story of two projectors to

explain this), “tread” pedal, half-damping and half-pedaling (sensitive pedaling), etc. The

other interesting metaphor is, when the author talks about the most sensitive pedaling, he

suggests students to imagine an egg under their right foot, the shell will crack if the foot is

moved too fast or too deep. The book is not boring at all: it is indeed written in a style

which will stir students’ interest in reading. Although the content is simple, the book instills

several important pedagogical points in students’ minds: 1) the teacher must help students

14

know where and why to pedal and what kind of pedaling to use; 2) the importance of the

amount of pedal depression; 3) the significance of listening: the pedal is played by the ear.

Katherine Faricy’s Pedaling Colors in Sound: Lessons and Repertoire for Elementary

Piano Students (2009) can be used as a textbook for elementary piano students just

beginning to get started on pedal usage. The content introduced in this book is relatively

easier. There are seven lessons included, briefly explaining how the piano as an instrument

works, how to use the damper pedal, and some basic key concepts for long pedals, direct

pedal, syncopated pedal, pedal release, etc. Only one basic pedal technique is explained for

each lesson, and the instruction is followed by several pedal exercises featuring the

respective technique.

Faricy also published a sequel, Artistic Pedal Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and

Advanced Pianists (2018), intended for intermediate and advanced students. Here, Faricy

talks about the depth of pedal, syncopated pedal, long pedal, flutter pedal, pedaling between

slurs, etc. Even though the syncopated pedal and long pedals have been introduced in the

elementary book, Faricy now talks more about their application in advanced-level piano

works, expanding upon the first book’s introduction of the technique.

In addition, Faricy briefly discusses some general stylistic principles of pedaling in a

single chapter. Students can know about the general style of pedaling Baroque music (J.S.

Bach); pedaling Classical music (Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven); pedaling Romantic

music (Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Brahms); pedaling

Impressionistic music (Debussy and Ravel); and pedaling Contemporary music. Music

15

examples extracted from these composers’ works are listed, marked with clear pedal

instructions showing the length and depth of the pedal. Faricy only lists some

representative composers here to help students get an idea of the general musical style of

the composers from different musical eras. The content of this part is functionally similar

to Banowetz’s The Pianist’s Guide to Pedaling, while the later provides deeper and more

scholarly discussions for researchers and advanced students.

Category 3: DMA project on pedaling research

Miranda Wong’s A Comparison of Piano Pedaling Literature (1995) is unique

among the resources reviewed in that it provides an overview of existing pedal-related

literature up to 1995 by comparative analysis, making a compendium of pedaling

suggestions and categorizing the types of pedaling. While it is a good academic resource

containing general suggestions from various sources, it is not a project focused on the

pedagogical aspect and the sequencing of the pedal-technique development, and no music

examples are included.

16

Chapter 3. Basic Information of the Damper Pedal

The Damper Pedal

The very first thing is to introduce the name of the right pedal to the student - the

damper pedal. The teacher should carefully avoid using inappropriate names for the right

pedal including “the loud pedal,” “the sustaining pedal,” or “prolonging pedal.” Calling it

“the loud pedal” implies that it is primarily a tool to make the sound louder, which is

misleading. The “prolonging pedal” is similarly deceptive because it only reflects one of

the pedal functions: to continue the sound, regardless of other practical and refined

functions. The word “damper” is more suitable: it embodies the action of the dampers

which are directly controlled by the pedal.

The teacher should always keep in mind that the student’s attention needs to be focused

on the sound effect when teaching pedal use, instead of on the simple movement of the

foot. It is necessary for a teacher to demonstrate the sound differences when playing a key

with the pedal and without the pedal. To begin, train the student’s ear and let them identify

the three most basic effects: longer sound, thicker sound, and louder sound.

The three most basic functions of the pedal can be demonstrated to the student before

getting into other details. These might be helpful to establish the very first impressions of

the damper pedal on the student. First, show the student how the pedal can prolong the note

(Example 3.1.1 & Example 3.1.2). Second, show the student how the pedal can help to

connect the notes. When the student’s hands are too small to connect the notes with their

17

fingers, the damper pedal can be used as “the third hand” to prolong and connect the notes

(Example 3.1.3). Third, show the student how the pedal can “collect” the notes and slightly

alter the tone color. As long as the pedal is held, all the played notes will be collected

together, and will sound as if they overlapping and accumulating (Example 3.1.4). Let the

student listen to the overtones while playing a single note or chord. The student may not

understand the meaning of the “overtone”, but the point here is to lead them to hear the

change of the sound color produced by the pedal.

Example 3. 1. 1.2 Demonstration on How Pedal Prolong the Notes

Example 3. 1. 2.3 Demonstration on How Pedal Prolong the Notes

2 Hans Schmitt, The Pedals of the Piano-forte and Their Relation to Piano-forte Playing and the

Teaching of Composition and Acoustics: Four Lectures Delivered at the Conservatory of Music (Vienna: T.

Presser, 1893).

3 Hanna Smith, 20 Estudos Progressivos do Pedal (Brazil: Irmaos Vitale, 2008), 4.

18

Example 3. 1. 3.4 Demonstration on How Pedal Connect the Notes

Example 3. 1. 4.5 Demonstration on How Pedal Collect the Notes

4 Albino Gorno, Meterials for the Study of Pianoforte Pedals, part 1. (Cincinnati: Public Library of

Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Genealogy, 1900), 16.

5 Ibid., 20.

19

The Mechanical Principle of the Pedal

In order to help student intuitively understand the pedal, it is useful to open the piano

lid and explain the mechanics of the piano. The following three steps can be applied during

this process:

1. Open the piano lid, show the dampers to the student and explain that the piano

dampers are the piano’s sound stoppers. Their main purpose is to mute or dampen the

vibrating strings. Each piano key has its own damper and strings.

2. Play a key, let the student carefully observe how the damper connected with this

particular key lifts from the strings, and how the hammer strikes the strings at the same

time. Explain to the student that this action causes the strings to vibrate, and this is how the

sound is made. Furthermore, the student needs to know that as long as the key remains

depressed, the corresponding damper will remain released from the strings, and the

corresponding strings will continue to vibrate. The sound will continue until the damper

returns (without consideration of natural sound decay).

3. Press the pedal, show the student that all the dampers are released from the strings

which allow the strings to vibrate freely and enrich the sound. And all dampers will return

to the strings and stop the sound when the pedal is released.

Explain to the student that the damper pedal is controlled by the right foot, and the foot

needs to press the pedal carefully. If the pedal is pressed or released by the foot too abruptly,

an undesirable, but avoidable sound will be created.

The vibrations might be a new concept for a young student. The following is an

20

interesting and illustrative exercise that can be used when introducing the strings’

vibrations to a student: press the pedal, let the student say “Hello” into the piano strings,

then he/she can hear the vibration of the strings.6

Position of the Foot

The correct position of the foot should never be overlooked at this beginning phase of

pedal teaching. The pre-requisite is that the student has already been taught to sit correctly

in front of the piano, centered. The student’s right foot should be placed on the damper

pedal; it is often recommended to place the ball of the foot on the pedal with the heel of

the foot remaining firmly on the floor at all times. The pressure comes between the toes

and the ball of the foot.

Several points need to be reiterated to the teacher. Firstly, always pay attention to the

sitting position of the student. Make sure they do not change the sitting position when

depressing the pedal. Secondly, observe the student’s leg movement as well. If the student

tries to raise the whole leg when depressing or releasing the pedal, stop the movement and

explain that the heel should remain on the floor and support the body. The ankle should be

flexible when using the pedal. Thirdly, the teacher should emphasize that the damper pedal

needs to be depressed and released without noise: the foot needs to be placed on the pedal

on “stand-by.” If the foot completely and abruptly releases the pedal, it will cause an

6 Katherine Faricy, Pedaling Colors in Sound: Lessons and Repertoire for Elementary Piano Students

(Minnetonka, MN: MaryMark Music, 2009), 8.

21

undesirable sound. The noise will also appear when tapping the pedal too fast and/or from

above. Fourthly, for young students, especially small children, who cannot reach the pedal,

a footstool should be prepared by the teacher. The footstool can raise the height of the pedal,

so that the student can reach the “pedal” (Example 3.3.1) without difficulty. But it is always

advisable that teachers do not try to teach pedaling to young beginners too early; students

should have proficient listening skills before learning to pedal. Exceptions can be made for

children with outstanding musical talent.7

Example 3. 3. 1.8 Pedal Extender

Pedal Indications

After the student understands the fundamentals of pedal, the mechanical principles

behind pedal, and the foot positioning, the pedal indications should be introduced to the

student. Three commonly used pedal indications will be discussed here. Since the

7 Riefling.

8 Pictures from www.taobao.com.

22

composers’ and music editors’ personal habits and preferences differ, pedal indications may

vary accordingly in piano scores. It is recommended that teachers illustrate all of them to

their students, if students are mature enough for this type of information.

The first is the most customary signature: “Ped,” followed by “*” (Example 3.4.1).

Depending on the study environment and country, most students’ initial exposure may be

to this pedal indication. This signage has its problems. Karl Leimar points out that they

take up too much space on the music sheet, to the extent that it cannot be an accurate

indicator for pressing and releasing. For this reason, for students who have just began to

learn the use of pedal, this kind of pedal indication is not recommended as it is easy for

beginners to hold down the pedal longer than necessary and cause an undesirable effect.9

“The signs Ped, * are obviously inadequate to the exact science that pedaling should

become. Their use gives the player only an approximate idea of the composer’s intention

in complicated passages, and is frequently inaccurate and obscure,” said Arthur Whiting in

his Pianoforte Pedal Studies (1904, Page V).

Example 3. 4. 1. Pedal Indication

9 Karl Leimer and Walter Gieseking, Rhythmics, Dynamics, Pedal Playing, trans. Frederick C. Rauser

and Bryn Mawr (Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser, 1938).

23

Hans Schmitt’s indication (Example 3.4.2)10 can be used by the teacher to further help

the student depress and release the damper pedal more accurately than can be achieved by

the simple signs of “Ped,” and “*.” Schmitt indicates the duration of the pedals by placing

the pedaling rhythm on an extra staff under or above the bass staff, which is more

sophisticated as the exact time value can be shown. It was popular from the end of the

nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century, and Whiting (Example 3.4.3)11

and Gorno12 were positive supporters to it.

Example 3. 4. 2.13 Schmitt’s Pedal Indication

10 Schmitt.

11 Arthur Whiting, Pianoforte Pedal Studies. Part 1: Elementary Use of the Damper Pedal (New York:

G. Shirmer, INC., 1904).

12 Gorno.

13 Schmitt.

24

Example 3. 4. 3.14 Arthur Whiting’s Pedal Indication

The third type of pedal indication to be introduced is Colin Taylor’s method (Example

3.4.4).15 It is widely used currently because it is directive and straightforward. The line

segment shows exactly when the pedal should be pressed and released, which is

instinctively understood by students. Since this indication system is very practical, most

piano textbooks designed for beginners currently make use of this system.

Example 3. 4. 4.16 Colin Taylor’s Pedal Indication

14 Whiting, 4.

15 Algernon H. Lindo, Pedaling in Pianoforte Music (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1922).

16 Ibid.

25

While the teacher should note that the pedal markings are approximate by nature, it is

important to expose beginning students to accurate indicators for training purposes. Later

on, with the development of their performance level, students can gradually improve their

physical coordination and to learn to apply the pedal more freely. Teachers should avoid

letting their students become pedal “robots” who can only mechanically follow the pedal

markings exactly without any flexibility. The student needs to gradually obtain the ability

to adjust the pedal through listening. The following chapter will provide more details on

the training of pedal depression and release.

26

Chapter 4. Preliminary Introduction of Pedal Control

Pedal Depression and Release

At the very beginning of teaching the pedal depression, teachers can simply let student

press the pedal all the way down and release it all the way up. Remind the student not to

release the pedal too abruptly, but to reduce the pressure of the foot on the pedal to allow

the pedal to lift up naturally. When teaching students to change the pedal, always insist that

the pedal is allowed to be released sufficiently to dampen the unwanted sounds, otherwise,

the strings from previous tones will continue to vibrate and the “dirty” sound will be carried

over to the new pedal.

Overusing the pedal is one of the most likely problems for students in this phrase as

well as for quite some time. “…abusing the pedal is only a means of covering up a lack of

technique, and that making a lot of noise is a way to drown the music you’re slaughtering”

as Claude Debussy aptly lamented. It needs to be emphasized that the legato effect should

be primarily produced with the combination of fingers, hands, and arms. The damper pedal

often assists, which is necessary to achieve the legato effect in instances where physical

connection is not possible without the pedal, but it cannot be regarded as the chief medium.

The student should use it with great care and skill, instead of using the pedal as a “crutch”

to cover the problems in their playing.

The teacher should know that the foot may or may not act accurately on initial attempts,

but they should make every effort to train the student’s ear to detect the difference in the

27

sound. “The ear must be in command!”17 C. A. Martienssen wrote in Individual Piano

Technique on the Basis of the Creative Will to Sound (1930), “The foot will never be able

to react sufficiently sensitively to the momentary demands of the soul and the ear if its

kinetic contacts with the ear have not been thoroughly trained in the most diverse manner

regarding rhythm.” The complete mastery of the subtleties of pedaling can only be attained

by thoroughly training the ear together with the knowledge of harmony. In most cases,

some additional factors like sonority, dynamics, and stylistic period need to be considered

for pedaling decisions. In this chapter and the following chapter, all examples with written

pedal markings are annotated by the author.

Example 4.1.1, below, can be used to help the student get familiar with the pedal. It can

be used by the teacher to demonstrate the “prolonging” function of the damper pedal. Here

the student can use it as the first pedal exercise; they should listen carefully, press and

release the pedal accurately as shown, and avoid carrying over the dissonant “dirty” sounds

into the next pedal.

17 Riefling.

28

Example 4. 1. 1.18 Exercise for Pedal Depression

Simultaneous Pedal

Simultaneous pedaling means the damper pedal needs to be pressed exactly at the same

time as the finger attack; the pedal can be released precisely with the release of the keys or

it may be prolonged. When a beat needs to be emphasized, a rhythmic pattern needs to be

defined, or a special articulation within the melody needs to be supported, the simultaneous

pedal is the preferred method of pedaling.

During the development of the damper pedal use, simultaneous pedal has gone by

different names. Reimar Riefling called it “the rhythmic pedal”;19 Carl Leimar called it

“time-treading”;20 and Karl Ulrich Schnabel called it “separated pedal” or “connected

18 Hanna Smith, 20 Estudos Progressivos do Pedal (Brazil: Irmaos Vitale, 2008), 4.

19 Riefling.

20 Leimer and Gieseking.

29

pedal.”21 Leimar is a strong supporter of the simultaneous pedal and claims that “time-

treading is a style of pedaling which the player should utilize more often.”22 In contrast to

others, Schnabel discusses more about the release of simultaneous pedal. Both the

“separated pedal” and “connected pedal” require depressing the damper pedal

simultaneously with the finger attack. While the “separated pedal” means the damper pedal

should be released before the next chord is played and can be done at the last moment, the

“connected pedal” leaves no interruption between the sounds, therefore the pedal must be

released at the moment when the next chord is played.23

When the harmony changes on the strong beat of each measure, and the strong beat

needs to be emphasized, the simultaneous pedal should be applied. This is one of the

situations when the simultaneous pedal is applied very often. Teachers do not need to worry

too much about the depth of pedal for the simultaneous pedal, but teachers should direct

the students’ attention toward the changing speed of the pedal. This might be taken into

consideration especially when a specific sound effect is desired.24 For example, if an

accent effect is needed on several successive staccato chords, the simultaneous pedal

should be applied and changed quickly.

21 Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Modern Technique of The Pedal – A Piano Pedal Study (Milano: Edizioni

Cuici, 1950).

22 Leimer and Gieseking.

23 Schnabel.

24 Faricy, Artistic Pedal Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists (Minnetonka,

MN: MaryMark Music, 2018).

30

The following example is applicable for the simultaneous pedal at the preliminary level.

The teacher can simply let the student press and release the damper pedal together with the

hand movement.

Example 4. 2. 1.25 Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 1: Katherine Faricy, Artistic Pedal

Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists.

The teacher is recommended to let the student first play the exercise (Example 4.2.1)

without the pedaling; then play the exercise with the pedal, maintaining the same

movement of the hands, aiming for the same dynamic and same length of the notes. Let the

student compare the difference between the sounds. The student will hear the sonority and

sound difference produced by the simultaneous pedal. This emphasis on critical listening

will benefit their future judgement of the sound. From the following exercises of

simultaneous pedal, the teacher can select what is suitable for the students’ performance

level.

25 Katherine Faricy, Artistic Pedal Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists

(Minnetonka, MN: MaryMark Music, 2018), 27.

31

Example 4. 2. 2.26 Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 2: Samuel Maykapar, Selections from

Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes: Piano Solos by Master

Composers of the Period. Prelude No. 1.

For this piece (Example 4.2.2), the simultaneous pedal should be pressed exactly

together with the first beats’ key attacks. In this case, the simultaneous pedal will not only

pedal through the same harmony to create the rich sonority, but also helps to emphasize the

26 Samuel Maykapar, Selections from Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes: Piano Solos by Master

Composers of the Period (Los Angeles: Alfred Publishing Co., 1974), 5.

32

first beats’ accent. It is advisable for the teacher to let the student play the accents without

the pedal first, then play with the pedal. This will let the student hear that the accent notes

become thicker and heavier with the help of the pedal.

In order to ensure the third beats sound accurately as staccato (interpreted to mean not

as long as it would be otherwise), the student should be reminded to release the pedal on

the third beats to avoid holding the pedal too long. Also, it is helpful if the student can be

led to investigate the dynamic contrasts among the several phrases. Maykapar’s expected

sound effect for this piece is as follows: “the left-hand chord and first three notes in the

right hand (quarter and two eighths) are fused into one sound. The staccato on the third

beat should not be mingled with the preceding sounds.”

Example 4. 2. 3. Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 3: Ferdinand Beyer, Elementary

Instruction Book for the Pianoforte, Op. 101, No. 62.

33

It should be explained to the student that the simultaneous pedal in this piece is mainly

used to support the downbeats of each measure. The teacher can let the student compare

the non-pedal and pedaled versions to hear the rhythmic outline enhanced by the pedal.

Example 4. 2. 4.27 Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 4: Alfred Mirovitch, The Pedal: The

Soul of The Piano.

27 Alfred Mirovitch, The Pedal: The Soul of The Piano (California: Belwin, 1954), 6.

34

Example 4. 2. 5.28 Simultaneous Pedal Exercise 5: Frank Marshall, La Sonoridad del

Piano. No. 27.

28 Frank Marshall, La Sonoridad Del Piano (Barcelona: Editorial Boileau, S.A., 2003), 43.

35

Example 4. 2. 6. Simultaneous Pedal’s Application at Advanced Level: Robert

Schumann, Symphonic Etude, Op. 13.

Example 4.2.6 does not need to be taught to the student, but can be used as

complementary material to help the student understand how the simultaneous pedal will be

applied in the standard piano literature at an advanced level. It will also provide the teacher

with an overall vision of the expected teaching direction. The simultaneous pedal is used

to create a clear outline of the melody and bass with an enhanced sonority. The teacher can

guide the student to listen to the outer voices defined by the simultaneous pedal. The

teacher does not need to play the piece by themselves; recordings of famous pianists can

be recommended.

36

Example 4. 2. 7. Simultaneous Pedal Application at Advanced Level: Sergei

Rachmaninoff, Moment Musicaux, Op. 16, No. 4.

In this case, the pedal is often applied with the eighth notes. The simultaneous pedal

will not only help to emphasize the accent notes to define the melodic outline, but also

prevent the notes from blurring. Projecting the notes with correct dynamic control is

necessary, and the clarity of the notes under the required fast tempo should be ensured.

When playing the recording, draw the student’s attention to how the simultaneous pedal

works in this section.

Controlling the Depth of the Damper Pedal

The damper pedal allows a wide range of control from no pedal to full pedal. Similar

to the gas pedal of a car, the relative depression of the pedal determines the amplitude of

the effect. Pressing lightly means the piano strings have less freedom to vibrate, and less

sonority will be created as a result. With the damper pedal, small amounts of foot

37

movement can produce a large difference in the sound. It is important to let students be

aware of the damper pedal’s possibilities so that they can strive to consciously control the

pedal at the various depths. It is guided by the ear, and students need to become accustomed

to the feel of the pedal and the sound associated with each level of depression.

Some easy physical exercises for the depth-control of the pedal can be applied:

Exercise 1: Depress the damper pedal all the way down. Release it all the way up but

without losing contact with the pedal. Feel the resistance of the pedal.

Exercise 2: Depress the damper pedal halfway down, then all the way down. Release

it half way up, and all the way up. Repeat the steps until the student has found the exact

halfway position.

Exercise 3: Depress the damper pedal in 1/4 increments (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, fully depressed).

Also release the pedal in 1/4 increments (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, fully released).

These exercises will help the student gain a better understanding of the downward and

upward journey of the pedal. Similar has been promoted by several pianists, such as

Schnabel, Banowetz, and Faricy. Faricy even mentions increments of 1/8 and even pedal

changes involving less than 1/8 of the pedal. The author believes it is unpractical to

introduce this level of detail for the purpose of this project.

When teaching the above exercises, there is one more aspect that should be experienced

by the student, the “changing” point of the pedal. The teacher can let the student press the

pedal down slowly, keep pressing until a change of pressure under the right foot is felt.

Testing and listening carefully, this “changing” point will be discovered. At this point, the

38

dampers start to rise from the strings, and the tones begin to be caught by the pedal. If

playing a grand piano, the student can open the piano lid and clearly see how the dampers

move off the strings gently when pedaling at this point; this is half-damping (quarter pedal).

More detailed instruction for the use of the half-damping will be discussed in section 5.4.

It should be clarified to the student that, as Schnabel aptly points out, each piano is

different and the acoustics may vary. Students should not control the pedal by simply

remembering the depth position, but use their ear to guide them.

It is, of course, unrealistic to expect that students will quickly master such subtle use

of the various depths of the pedal, both in terms of the mechanical control as well as in

making auditory and musical judgment. This is understandable given the fact that

coordination of the foot and both hands is already challenging. However, introducing the

concept and letting the student experiment early will help to develop the student’s creative

mindset, which will be necessary in the refinement of their pedal technique. It is not

necessary to wait to complete all the preliminary steps before attempting to prime students

for future development of finer pedal techniques.

Gradual Pedal Depression and Release

In general, teachers typically focus on the “on” and “off” movement of pedaling during

the early phases of instruction, which can be called a sudden pedal depression and release.

The teacher needs to be able to give an expanded explanation of the sudden pedal release

and its special uses. It can be used effectively if a sharp silence/rest needs to be created,

39

and the rest thus created then becomes a kind of “attack” of its own.29 The timing of

introducing gradual pedal depression and release should be after the student understands

the downward and upward journey of the pedal from the previous section.

The gradual pedal release has also been referred to as “float-off pedal” by Gebhard and

“pedal diminuendo” by Carreno.30 It can help create a sound effect of natural diminuendo

and connect the subsequent notes softly and smoothly. As Banowetz describes, “the slow

release of the damper pedal is often desirable when rounding off the final note or chord of

a phrase, or when tapering off the sound of a chord before a silence.”31

In order to improve the flexibility of foot movement, a simple exercise can also be

applied: let the student depress the pedal normally but release it slowly; then reverse the

procedure.32 The following exercises (4.4.1 and 4.4.2) on the gradual depressing and

releasing of the damper pedal should also be applied during the lesson. The visual

representation of the foot action shown in the measures below is directive and helpful, and

it should be used more often by teachers when demonstrating pedal exercises.

29 Joseph Banowetz, The Pianist’s Guide to Pedaling (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press,

1985), 57.

30 Miranda Wong, “A Comparison of Piano Pedaling Literature.” (Ph.D. diss., Columbia University,

1995).

31 Banowetz, 46.

32 Ibid., 222.

40

Example 4. 4. 1.33 Exercise for Gradually Depressing the Pedal

Example 4. 4. 2.34 Exercise for Gradually Depressing the Pedal

For the Example 4.4.1 and Example 4.4.2, the teacher does not need to adhere to the

exact notes written unless the student is already at the appropriate level to play these notes

without difficulty. For the novice student, the teacher can simply let him/her play the same

single-note scale as seen earlier in Example 4.1.1 but apply the method of gradual

depression or gradual release on each pedal.

33 Faricy, Artistic Pedal Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists, 32.

34 Ibid., 38.

41

Chapter 5. Pedal Techniques and Exercises

Syncopated Pedal

The syncopated pedal is also called legato pedal,35 or intense pedal,36 and refers to

pedaling after the attack. The syncopated pedal not only serves to strengthen and

consequently prolong the tone as normal, but also serves to connect the melodic interval,

octaves, large leaps, harmonic progressions, and other connections which cannot be

connected due to keys having to be repeated or the distance between the keys exceeding

the span of the hand. 37 Additional discussions on the necessary preparations for the

teaching of syncopated pedal can be found in the third chapter. When introducing the basic

information of the damper pedal, the syncopated pedal is one of the three basic functions

used to first introduce the pedal to the student.

Syncopated pedal is one of the most commonly used pedal methods, and it is also one

of the earliest established pedal techniques. According to David Rowland, the earliest

evidence for syncopated pedaling appears in Muzio Clementi’s Fantasia Variations “Au

Clair De La Lune,” op. 48 (Example 5.1.1), which was published in 1821. This is one of

Clementi’s late works. It suggests that Clementi already began to have the awareness to

depress the damper pedal after attacking the note. Even though this method was not yet

35 Riefling

36 Schnabel.

37 Riefling.

42

called the “syncopated pedal.”38 Carl Czerny also seems to have offered a description of

the syncopated pedal several years later. In 1839, Czerny stated: “The quitting and

resuming the pedal must be managed with the utmost rapidity, not to leave any perceptible

chasm or interstice between the chords; and must take place strictly with the first note of

each chord…The rapidly leaving and resuming the pedal must be practiced…till such

passages…sound as if the pedal was held down without interruption.”39

Example 5. 1. 1. The Earliest Evidence of Syncopated Pedaling: Muzio Clementi,

Fantasia Variations, “Au Clair De La Lune,” Op. 48.40

38 David Rowland, A History of Pianoforte Pedaling (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993). 39 Carl Czerny, Complete Theoretical and Practical Piano Forte School, op. 500, vol 3, trans. J. A

(Hamilton London: Cocks, 1839), 62.

40 Muzio Clementi, Fantasia Variations, “Au Clair De La Lune,” Op. 48. (London: Clementi & Co.,

1821).

43

The following are some simple exercises that can be used when introducing the

syncopated pedal.

Exercise 1:

Step 1: The teacher plays several single notes/chords, one by one. The notes can be

played at an irregular tempo, but not too fast. The student needs to close the eyes, listen

carefully, and “catch” each note by depressing the damper pedal right as they hear each

note played by the teacher. This exercise is very helpful as it will help the student realize

that it is the ear that controls the pedal, instead of the foot or the finger movements.

Step 2: Let the student listen to the sound carefully to decide how much sonority

should be accumulated by the pedal. The teacher can combine this with the content

provided in chapter 4 - section 3 on the control of the depth of the damper pedal, let the

student keep repeating and experiencing until they reach the desired sound. The student

should be reminded to keep listening and comparing the sound while depressing the pedal

at various depths.

Exercise 2:

The second exercise applies Enrique Granados’s principle of note subdivision

(Example 5.1.2). Granados subdivides note values into what he calls valores reales e

imaginarios (“real and imaginary values”). Here, he uses the rhythmic subdivision as the

basis of syncopated pedaling; the speed of pedal change is related to the length of the notes

44

themselves. The longer the note, the slower the rate of pedal change.41 The teacher can use

the following exercise to supplement the steps described above.

Imagine a note including four counts, as shown in the following example. On count

1, play the note; on count 2, hold the note, depress the pedal to catch the sound; on count

3, hold the pedal, listen to the sound; and on count 4, release the note, continue to listen to

the sound retained by the pedal alone. On the next count 1, be sure to release the pedal

exactly as the next chord is played, the dampers should have stopped the sound at the

instant the hammers strike the strings again. Listen carefully, make sure no unwanted

dissonant sound from the previous harmony is carried over into the new change of pedal.

Example 5. 1. 2.42 Enrique Granados’s Notes-Subdivision.

If the pedal is released too soon, a break in the sound will be heard. If the pedal is

released too late, there will be a blurring of the two notes. The teacher can use this exercise

to let student be familiarized with the syncopated pedal before getting into more details.

41 Banowetz, 222.

42 Ibid.

45

As Matthay reminds us, if one holds a key down by the finger and then connects that

finger (legato) to the next note, a bad smudge will result if the pedal is pressed down at the

same instant when the next key is attacked. The teacher should emphasize that the student

always needs to listen carefully to the change in the sound when the pedal is applied, as

well as when timing the next note. In order to avoid the undesired blending of the sounds,

the teacher can further explain the problem: it is necessary for one to hold up the damper

of the first note with one finger, until the very moment when the next note is struck.

Therefore, if the pedal is depressed to raise all the dampers, it will prevent the previous

note’s damper from dropping back and cutting off the tone.43 When the timing is correct,

a clean legato connection between the notes will be heard.

The teacher can use the following exercise to let the student briefly explore the

syncopated pedal before getting into more details:

Example 5. 1. 3. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 1: Bela Bartok, Mikrokosmos, Vol. 1, No.

1.

43 Tobias Matthay, Musical Interpretation, Its Laws and Principles, and Their Application in Teaching

and Performing (Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Music Company, 1913).

46

After the student obtains the ability to control the syncopated pedal well for single notes

and at a slow pace (and/or with longer note values) (Example 5.1.3), the teacher can give

him/her further exercises to practice the technique with double notes or chords which

require keener listening (Example 5.1.4 & Example 5.1.5).

Example 5. 1. 4.44 Syncopated Pedal Exercise 2: Angela Diller and Elizabeth Quaile,

First Pedal-studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises and

Pieces.

44 Angela Diller and Elizabeth Quaile, First Pedal-Studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises

and Pieces (New York: G. Schirmer, 1942), 18.

47

Example 5. 1. 5. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 3: Bela Bartok, Mikrokosmos, Vol. 1, No.

17.

For these two examples (5.1.4 and 5.1.5), it is important to remind the student that the

pedal should be released right upon the attack of the new notes. A good way to train the

student is by letting him/her simply stop on the new notes for a second, listen carefully to

make sure they released the pedal on time (the sound of the previous notes is not carried

over), before they depress the next pedal. This focuses the student’s ears to the critical

moment where listening may be most compromised because of the distraction of having to

move both the fingers and the foot. Repeated use of this type of activity will help develop

a good habit of continuous listening.

The following additional examples can be used effectively when teaching the

syncopated pedal. They are arranged in an order from simple to difficult.

48

Example 5. 1. 6.45 Syncopated Pedal Exercise 4: Alfred Mirovitch, The Pedal: The

Soul of The Piano.

Example 5. 1. 7. Syncopated Pedal Exercise 5: Louis Kohler, Practial Piano Method,

Op. 300, No. 84.

45 Mirovitch, 4-5.

49

Example 5. 1. 8.46 Syncopated Pedal Exercise 6: Samuel Maykapar, Selections from

Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes: Piano Solos by Master

Composers of the Period, No. 5.

Maykapar’s notes for this exercise can be very helpful for teaching, and so are his

description, which serves as a good model for teachers trying to find the right words to

direct their students:

Do not depress the pedal on the first beat but rather on the second beat. You will be

depressing the pedal after striking the melody note. Then release the pedal

completely with the melody note on the first beat of the following measure. Be sure

that the pedal taken on the second beat is not released too early; it must be held

until the beginning of the first beat of the following measure.

46 Maykapar, 8.

50

The reason for pedaling on the second beats is that the pedal is serving to enrich the

right-hand melody notes in this piece.47 The left-hand’s rests make the syncopated pedal

more manageable as the student will have longer time to change the pedal completely. The

added benefit of this example is that the student will realize that without the marked “pp”

for the left hand, the dynamics of the accompaniment will overwhelm the melody on a long

note. A wise teacher will point out that although “pp” is marked in this example, we must

always do this in a similar context even if it is not written, such as seen in Kohler’s example

(5.2.8). The expected sound effect of this exercise written by Maykapar is “the fullness and

rich color of the mezzo-forte melody tones against the soft chordal background is gained

by careful tonal balance of melody and accompaniment.”

47 For the left hand, the pedal is also used as a “liquid staccato” example, will be discussed later.

51

Example 5. 1. 9.48 Syncopated Pedal Exercise 7: Agatha Pfeiffer, Pedal Studies for

Pianoforte, No. 25.

Riefling points out that one possible drawback of the syncopated pedal may arise if the

teacher places an exclusive focus on teaching syncopated pedal to a point that the students

equates “pedaling” to mean syncopated pedaling. First, when pedaling a series of detached

chords of different harmonies, syncopated pedaling is almost useless, as the sound of the

chord partially disappears before the pedal comes into operation; second, when a phrase

has a staccato bass accompaniment, especially when the first beat is a staccato note,

syncopated pedal may not be the choice; third, in the widely-spread arpeggio chords, the

48 Agatha Pfeiffer, Pedal Studies for Pianoforte (New York: G. Schirmer, 1922), 24-25.

52

important foundation note is either materially weakened or entirely lost before the upper

notes of the chord are heard.49 In above cases, clearly, some other techniques are necessary.

For example, a skillful use of the simultaneous pedal could be a good substitution.

The following example (5.1.10) can be used to illustrate one of the drawbacks above.

The syncopated pedal is not an ideal solution for the widely-spread arpeggio chords here.

It is possible that mastering the syncopated pedaling may be challenging enough that

teachers may feel introducing additional pedal techniques may overwhelm students. But it

is also most likely that the process of mastering the syncopated pedaling may extend

beyond a student’s study with a single teacher. A good compromise is for teachers to have

ready examples such as this to demonstrate that syncopated pedaling is not the only

solution depending on the musical context; this serves to caution students, without

expecting them to tackle these techniques right away.

49 Lindo.

53

Example 5. 1. 10. Syncopated Pedal Application at Advanced Level: Franz Liszt,

Sonnet 104 del Petrarca, S. 161, No. 5.

Anticipatory Pedal

Anticipatory pedal, also termed “acoustic pedal” or “timbre pedal,”50 means that the

the pedal needs to be employed prior to the finger attack. The strings will first vibrate

slightly without being struck, then the upcoming notes attacked after pressing the pedal

will become richer, rounder, more powerful, requiring less of an attack. It can even soften

the tone (by allowing for less attack) and contributing to dynamic smoothness and balance

especially in high and low registers.

In general, the anticipatory pedal can be applied before the first note or chord of a piece,

after a rest, after a short pause or a short silence. The following situations are suitable for

the use of the anticipatory pedal, and their expected sound effects should be introduced to

50 Riefling.

54

the student. First, when a strong entry of the notes is in need, pedaling prior to the attack

will help the notes stand out sonorously with a richer sound at the very beginning, which

will sound better than depressing the pedal right after striking the notes or chords

(syncopated pedal).51 Second, notes intended to “sneak into” the music softly will sound

natural and not abrupt, since the dampers have already been raised and the sympathetic

partials are allowed to vibrate fully, and the unpleasant clash of sound will be avoided.

Third, the anticipatory pedal can be used in other situations when the anticipating note is

playing a significant role of the upcoming musical motives, with the anticipatory pedal

creating a rich resonance.52

The following three exercises written by Angela Diller can be used in the preliminary

stage when teaching the anticipatory pedal. As Diller noted for the exercises: “Press down

the damper-pedal before playing the first note of the piece. This raises the dampers, and

the strings are free to vibrate. Listen always most carefully to the quality of the tones that

you make.”

51 Leimer and Gieseking.

52 Ibid.

55

Example 5. 2. 1.53 Anticipatory Pedal Exercise 1: Angela Diller and Elizabeth Quaile,

First Pedal-studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises and

Pieces.

Then it is advisable for the teachers to use the following exercise which combines the

syncopated pedal and anticipatory pedal together; the anticipatory pedal only appears once

at the beginning of the piece:

53 Diller and Quaile, 6.

56

Example 5. 2. 2.54 Anticipatory Pedal Exercise 2: Angela Diller and Quaile Elizabeth,

First Pedal-studies for the Piano: 24 Progressive Exercises and

Pieces.

Diller’s note for this piece (Example 5.2.2) could be inspiring for the student: “A

passage with a held pedal may sound very beautiful if played pianissimo. And would be

unbearable if played forte. And above all, listen to your playing.”

Teachers can use the following two exercises as a summative practice for the student

as these exercises combine the syncopate pedal, simultaneous pedal, and anticipatory pedal

together. The anticipatory pedal also only appears at the beginning of the piece:

54 Diller and Quaile, 16.

57

Example 5. 2. 3. Anticipatory Pedal Exercise 3: Dmitry Kabalevsky, 24 Pieces for

Children, Op. 39, No. 13.

58

Example 5. 2. 4. Anticipatory Pedal Application at Advanced Level: Ludwig van

Beethoven, Piano Sonata Op. 81a, First Movement.

Example 5.2.4 is one of the applied example of anticipatory pedal in regular piano

repertoire. Again, this is only used to enhance the student’s understanding of the

anticipatory pedal and the piece doesn’t need to be learned. When the teacher plays the

example themselves or a recording of the beginning, let the student listen to the sound, and

explain how the anticipatory pedal can be applied before the attack of the very first note,

creating an expressive atmosphere and make the first notes rounder yet soft. Although the

anticipatory pedal is customarily taught at the advanced level, there is no reason for this

delay. The physical coordination of the technique is not challenging, and does not even

require a very critical ear nor refined timing to use properly. For this reason, it is this

author’s opinion that this should become a part of early instruction of pedaling where

students can learn the interaction between the pedal use and dynamics and articulation.

59

Staccato Pedal

In general, there are two types of staccato pedal: the same name can refer to two

different methods of pedaling. The first type of staccato pedal can be regarded as a

subordinate pedaling method of the simultaneous pedal, which can also be described as “a

brief touch of the damper pedal.”55 The second type of staccato pedal refers to pedaling a

series of staccato notes within one pedal.

In the first type, the “brief touch” of the pedal is applied simultaneously with the notes’

attack. Based on its widespread use, teachers should not skip the instruction of the staccato

pedal after the simultaneous pedal introduction. The possible situations applicable to the

staccato pedal are divided into the following categories:

1. the passages demanding a heavy sforzando in non-legato touch

2. loud notes marked with staccato signs, and sonority and color are needed

3. unwritten accents, when accents are not marked by the composer, the pedal can be

used to emphasize a certain beat or rhythmic pulse.56

The following two examples may help the teacher achieve the desired outcome. In these

exercises, the short brief touch of the pedal is to be applied to highlight short sforzando-

accent notes, short accent notes, staccato notes, or tenuto notes. To clarify, the

simultaneous pedal discussed in the previous chapter focuses on the pedal depression that

55 Banowetz, 50.

56 Ibid, 48-50.

60

is simultaneous with the key attack, regardless of whether or not it is being applied to a

staccato note. While the “brief touch of the pedal” is a kind of simultaneous pedal with a

quick brush of the pedal used with the notes marked with a “staccato” indication.

Example 5. 3. 1. Staccato Pedal Exercise 1: Dmitri Kabalevsky, 24 Pieces for

Children, Op. 39, No. 7.

The second type is literally for the pedaling of a series of staccato notes. Gebhard has

a detailed discussion about this type of staccato pedal in The Art of Pedaling. He explains

that there are two different flavors of staccato: dry staccato and liquid staccato.57 The

57 Heinrich Gebhard, The Art of Piano Pedaling (Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1963).

61

teacher can first let the student play staccato with the fingers only; without the pedal, the

original short notes’ sound is the dry staccato. Then let the student hold the pedal through

the staccato notes and listen to the sound. The sound can still be identified as staccato but

it is a more “liquid” tone. For example, the second line of Example 5.3.1 can be a good

example to be played as liquid staccato, i.e. with pedal. The same principle can also be

applied to the portamento notes, which can be divided into dry portamento and liquid

portamento.58 The teacher should distinguish the differences between the two types of

staccato pedal. The teacher should also remind the student to pay attention to the depth of

the pedal when pedaling through the staccato/portamento notes, which is not mentioned

by Gebhard. When pedaling a series of staccato notes not in the same harmony, and to

control the amount of sound accumulation for the purpose of dynamic control, the pedal

cannot be depressed too much. The teacher should encourage students to listen to the sound

and adjust the depth of the pedal, until they can produce the ideal warmth of the notes

without making the sound too heavy or blurry.

Here is a short example which can be used by the teacher when introducing the idea of

liquid staccato to student. First, let the student play the left hand only, play everything in

staccato. Second, let the student play the left-hand notes while fully depressing the pedal.

Pedal through the four notes in each measure while continuing to play everything in the

same way as before. Repeat the first and second steps several times, until the student forms

58 Gebhard.

62

a basic idea about the sound difference between staccato and liquid staccato. Third, keep

playing the left hand in the same way, but change the pedal depth while repeating the four-

note pattern; again it is suggested to use 1/4 increments: once without the pedal at all, then

with 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full pedal depression. Let the student listen to the changes in the

sound, compare how the pedal makes the tone become louder and thicker, and the staccato

notes become more and more “liquid.” These steps will help the student build a clearer idea

about the expected tonal effect and the amount of pedal he/she needs to apply when the

staccato pedal is call for.

Example 5. 3. 2. Staccato Pedal Exercise 3: Bela Bartok, For Children, Sz. 42, No.

40.

For both Example 5.3.3. and 5.3.4, the teacher can simply let the student pedal as

indicated; the liquid staccato effect as described above will be produced.

63

Example 5. 3. 3. Staccato Pedal Exercise 4: Bela Bartok, For Children, Sz. 42, No.

32.

Example 5. 3. 4. Staccato Pedal Exercise 5: Dmitri Kabalevsky, 24 Pieces for Children,

Op. 39, No. 17.

64

Exercise 5.3.5 is written by Farjeon. As mentioned above, the teacher can encourage

the student to try to pedal the staccato notes at various depths and make his/her own

decision on the amount of pedal to apply. It is advisable to play this piece with 1/2 pedal,

which can also be called half-damping. More details about half-damping can be found in

the later part of this chapter.

Example 5. 3. 5. Staccato Pedal Exercise 6: Harry Farjeon, The Art of Piano Pedaling.

65

One of the practical applications of the staccato pedal in regular piano literature can be

found in Brahms’ Op.118, No.3 (Example 5.3.6). The teacher can narrate some details

about pedaling while letting the student listen to this piece. For example, in order to avoid

excessive thickness and to highlight the rhythmic propulsion of the music, it is advisable

to gradually release the pedal as indicated by the author. This is one of the possible ways

to deal with the staccato notes in this piece due to the thickness of texture and the dynamic

context. In this case, in order to maximize the pedal effect, the fingers should be careful

with the articulation, and the staccato chords should be played firmly to define the musical

direction accordingly. Another way to shape the phrases without getting too thick is to

combine this technique with the diminuendo and lessen the attack at the finger level for the

inner four-note groupings.

66

Example 5. 3. 6. Staccato Pedal’s Application at Advanced Level: Johannes Brahms,

Op. 118, No. 3.

To help the student become more familiar with the practical use of syncopated pedal,

simultaneous pedal, and staccato pedal, the teacher can use the following pedal exercise

which combines all the three ways of pedaling within one piece, but not simultaneously.

67

Example 5. 3. 7.59 Syncopated Pedal, Simultaneous Pedal and Staccato Pedal: Samuel

Maykapar, Selections from Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes:

Piano Solos by Master Composers of the Period. No. 14.

59 Maykapar, 18-19.

68

69

Half-damping (Quarter Pedal)

Half-damping means depressing the pedal to such a degree that the dampers exert only

a small amount of pressure on the strings, i.e. to the point where the dampers are about to

raise from the strings, but are still in contact with the strings. In this case, the dampers will

only allow the strings to generate a light sonority of the sound. The appropriate time to

introduce the half-damping, is when the student understands how to produce varied sounds

by pedaling at various depths (see chapter 3). Schnabel also calls half-damping “an

intermediate position of pedal” or “quarter pedal.”60 It can be used for scales and non-

harmonic passages.

As mentioned in section 4.3, the “changing” point of half-damping can be recognized

by the student at a fairly early stage. Teachers should again emphasize careful listening:

the ears can tell if too much or too little pedal is pressed, providing feedback the student

can use to adjust. Half-damping provides another opportunity to evaluate and sharpen a

student’s ability to judge the sound. Schnabel’s description can be a good standard to test

if the student is pressing at the correct depth: “no blurring occurs when the pedal is kept in

this position while scales are played or while harmonies change. Its only effect is to

brighten the sound.”61

According to the student’s ability and level of performance, some supplementary

explanations or activities can be added as well. First, the teacher can explain that the strings’

60 Schnabel, 15.

61 Ibid.

70

length and thickness vary among the high, middle and low registers, so that the pedal also

functions differently on various registers. For example, the half-damping point for the

lower strings may not be the half-damping point of the upper strings. This means that

sometimes the same level of half-damping allows vibration of the lower strings, while

stifling the sound of the upper strings.62 Second, the pedal should be fully released to stop

the vibrations of all strings, otherwise, the half-damping will continuously be in effect and

can lead to blurring of the sound.

Schnabel uses a dotted line to indicate the half-damping, which can a useful indicator

for both students and teachers:

The following exercises are regular exercises written by Carl Czerny used here as

teaching materials for half-damping technique; the pedal marks are added by the author.

Teachers can apply them in their teaching accordingly.

62 Matthay.

71

Example 5. 4. 1. Half-Damping Exercise 1: Carl Czerny, Op. 849, No. 6.

72

Example 5. 4. 2. Half-Damping Exercise 2: Carl Czerny, Op. 849, No. 22.

The following exercise is written by Farjeon. Farjeon cautions: “In this piece be sure

you hear the octave bass sounding through the bar, and be sure you don’t hear the quaver

chord for longer than a quaver…the bass notes must be retained to complete the chords,

and the preceding harmonies must be thoroughly stamped out.”63 As this piece is written

with a certain level of difficulty, the teacher should judge if it is appropriate for their student.

63 Farjeon, 13.

73

Example 5. 4. 3.64 Half-Damping Exercise 3: Harry Farjeon, The Art of Piano Pedaling.

64 Farjeon, 14.

74

Example 5. 4. 4. Half-damping’s Application at Advanced Level: Sergei Rachmaninoff,

Op. 16, No. 1.

This is an example of the application of half-damping for an advanced-level piano piece.

As the left hand is outlining the harmony and supplying a rhythmic as well as a rising

melodic motive, the downbeats need to be heard and the three-note-pattern should be

highlighted with special care. The student can be guided to listen to the half-damping on

the quarter notes. According to the density of the notes, half-damping can help to avoid

excessive blurriness, while the right hand should always sound light and delicate. The

flutter pedal, discussed later, suits the second line better.

75

Half-pedaling

Half-pedaling is related to half-damping, and the two can be taught together. Half-

pedaling is achieved by complete depression and half-release of the damper pedal.65 This

could be an abstract concept for a student. In order to avoid the confusion of half-damping

and half-pedaling, the teacher should clarify the difference between them. Half-damping

relates to the degree of pedal depression; when applying the half-damping, the pedal will

only be pressed to a shallow level and not deeper than the “half-damping point.” The

teacher can let the student imagine there is an egg under the damper pedal.66 If pedaling

too deep, the egg will be crushed. On the other hand, half-pedaling relates to the degree of

pedal release. The pedal will only be released a little bit to eliminate some unwanted sound

but will be immediately pressed again to maintain the remaining sounds needed from the

previous pedal. That means, the pedal will not be completely released.

It may be helpful for the teacher and student to again open the piano lid and examine

the mechanical principles behind this effect. When releasing the damper pedal halfway,

and re-depressing the pedal rapidly, the dampers are only allowed to gently “brush” the

strings for an instant before being raised again.67 As mentioned in the half-damping section,

65 Kathleen Benz Ferguson, “The pedals of the Piano: A Study of Their Functions, Uses, and

Pedagogical Methods.” (MM thesis, University of Wyoming, 1969), 15.

66 Peter Coraqqio, The Art of Piano Performance: Pedaling, The Soul of the Piano (San Diego,

California: Kjos Music Company, 1997). 67 Banowetz, 78.

76

the strings’ length and thickness varies and the effect of pedal varies for different registers.

When the “brush” happens, the short and thin high register strings quickly stop vibrating,

but the lower strings are more difficult to dampen as they are thicker and longer. Then, only

a part of the previous bass tone is carried over while the upper register sounds have been

eliminated. This can help to produce the desired overall degree of sound blurring and

prevent the sound from being too dry or too wet.

The teacher can demonstrate to the student, on a grand piano, that in order to stop all

vibrations completely, the dampers must rest fully on the strings for a significant length of

time.68 Guide the student to listen to the sound and gradually find out how immediately

the foot should act to lightly “brush” the strings and carry over the desired sound. To avoid

any break in the sound when applying the half-pedaling, the student needs to be reminded

that they should maintain a legato touch with their hands.

Half-pedaling can be used in the following situations. First, when the texture of the

music is too thick and the full pedal will be too much, half-pedaling will help to reduce the

heaviness. Second, only part of the sound from the preceding notes or chords needs to be

retained. For example, it can help to eliminate the dissonant notes, to make the melody or

harmony clearer and produce the proper harmonic support. Third, when a bass line needs

to be retained while the upper voices should not be blurred.

The teacher should clarify that Schnabel’s concept of “half pedal” is slightly different

68 Banowetz, 76.

77

from the half pedaling as described above. Schnabel states that when pedaling a little

deeper than the half-damping point (which is about a quarter of the way down), it can be

called a “half” pedal. The half pedal can also be used for scales or harmonic passages, but

it will result in a sound with more sonority than half-damping, as the dampers raise a little

higher and allow more vibration of the strings. Schnabel reminds us that “it would cause

blurring if the pedal were held in this position while scales are played or during a change

of harmony. But this will not give the impression that a note is being held after the key is

released.”69

Flutter pedal

Flutter-pedal is also termed “tremolo pedal” by Lindo, 70 “vibrating pedal” by

Schnabel,71 and “tremulo half pedal” by Anton Rubinstein.72 In order to achieve the ideal

continuous sound without any break, it involves continuous, quick, small foot movements

on the damper pedal. The partial change of the pedal instructed in the last section lays a

technical foundation for the flutter pedal. The author believes that flutter pedal can be

regarded as one of the practical applications of half-pedaling in a rapid and continuous

manner. Rubinstein describes it as “when the half pedal is used in such rapid succession

69 Schnabel, 18.

70 Lindo, 117.

71 Schnabel, 7.

81 Alexander Nikitich Bukhovtsev, Guide to the Proper Use of the Pianoforte Pedals: With Examples

out of the Historical Concerts of Anton Rubinstein, trans. John A. Preston (California: Bosworth, 1897), 37.

78

that the foot seems almost to vibrate.” Flutter pedal is recommended to be introduced to

the student after half-pedaling. As with half-pedaling, flutter pedal also permits the

dampers to only “brush” the strings quickly to dampen the sounds of certain strings,

without causing a break in the sound of the lower register strings.

Faricy believes flutter pedal can be used in connection with any pedal depth, which is

clearly indicated in her example 5.5.1.73

Example 5. 5. 1. Flutter Pedal Exercise 1

Banowetz states the flutter pedal should be a rapid and fairly shallow movement of the

pedal.74 This is further clarified by Banowetz in the following example, 5.5.2.

73 Faricy, Artistic Pedal Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists, 57.

74 Banowetz, 78.

79

Example 5. 5. 2.75 The Motion Area of the Flutter Pedal

Banowetz’s opinion is similar with Schnabel. Schnabel’s viewpoint is that the pedal

should not be moved all the way up or down, but only as far as is necessary for the dampers

to come in contact with the strings and leave them again, being lifted just far enough to

allow the strings to vibrate freely.76 Lindo points out “it is doubtful if the pedal ever rises

to its fullest extent, it may do so in the case of a pedal capable only of very shallow

depression. But as it has to move up and down as quickly as can conveniently be

managed.”77 The author believes that the depth of flutter pedal depends on the musical

context. If the general sonority needs to be thick and heavy, the flutter pedal could be

applied to a deeper depth. But if only a slight sonority is needed to add color to the tone,

the flutter pedal should only be used at a shallow level. In addition, the frequency also

75 Banowetz, 78.

76 Schnabel, 7. 77 Lindo, 117.

80

matters, if it is a rapid passage within a louder dynamic range or thick texture, the frequency

of the flutter pedal should be higher. Various factors affect the amount and frequency of the

flutter pedal, and the teacher should spend some time on their instruction of flutter pedaling

to gradually train the student’s independent judgement.

Composers rarely mark the flutter pedal in their works, so the teacher should mark the

flutter pedal indication when it is in need, such as the following:

Besides the possible situations discussed above for half-pedaling, the flutter pedal can

also be very helpful in the chromatic passages. It will produce the necessary warmth of the

sound instead of creating unnecessary heavy sonority or make the sound too blurry

(example 5.6.3). At the same time, the flutter pedal can function well when a quick

diminuendo needs to be made. When applying the flutter pedal, the teacher should remind

the student that the finger compensation should never be ignored. Rubinstein suggests if

the tremulo half-pedal is employed in a passage while a long note or chord needs to be

retained, the note or chord itself should be played in forte, while the passage itself is played

softly78.

78 Bukhovtsev, 37.

81

Example 5. 5. 3. Flutter Pedal Exercise 2: Friedrich Burgmüller, 25 Progressive Pieces,

Op. 100, No. 25.

Example 5. 5. 4. Flutter Pedal’s Application at Advanced Level: Franz Liszt, Sonnet

104 del Petrarca, S. 161, no. 5.

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Example 5.5.4 is an example of the flutter pedal applied at an advanced level. The

teacher can first let the student listen to a recording to illustrate the expected sound effect

of this part, then demonstrate how to use the pedal to create this effect. The composer marks

diminuendo after the forte in the last measure of the first line, and a smorzando is marked

at the beginning of the second line. While the Ped and * are marked on the music, the

teacher can show how it will sound if the marks are simply followed on the modern piano,

applying one pedal throughout the two measures. Then the flutter pedal can be applied. The

flutter pedal can be used from the diminuendo in the last measure of the first line to the

fermata by the end of the first measure in the second line. The depth of the flutter pedal

can be adjusted from full pedal to quarter pedal gradually as indicated.

Partial Release of the Damper Pedal

After the student understands the half-pedaling and flutter pedal, Banowetz’s four

different levels of partial release of the pedal can be a good supplementary material to teach

at the conclusion of this part. As with the pedal depression to various depths, these levels

should also be measured by the student’s ear.

• Level 1: A total release of sound: “Full pedal”, the dampers are fully raised from

the strings.

• Level 2: A 75 percent release of the pedal. The dampers barely touch the strings,

and approximately 75 percent of the initial sound is carried over.

• Level 3: A 50 percent release of the pedal. The dampers are allowed to rest lightly

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on the strings. Less sound will be carried over, and staccato notes or chords will

not cut off immediately.

• Level 4: A 25 percent release of the pedal. Only a slight amount of foot pressure on

the pedal. When playing a rapid scale passage, no blurring will occur.79

Finger Pedaling

Finger pedaling can be explained to the students as one of the commonly used methods

to aid the conventional legato, instead of purely relying on the pedal. Finger pedaling is,

understandably, not often discussed in the pedal-related treatises. But it should not be

skipped by the piano teachers since its unique functions cannot be replaced by other

techniques, and it is often employed at the advanced level to solve conflicting pedaling

aims. Finger pedaling simply means holding down the keys longer beyond the indicated

length (but without changing the rhythm), which will avoid the breaks in the melody and

create a similar sound effect as if the notes are held with the damper pedal. As Riefling

describes, the finger should play in a close tenuto or legatissimo touch. 80 It works

especially well in the following cases, which should be demonstrated to the students: when

the melody needs to be played in legato or legatissimo but full dependency on the pedal

for the connection will ruin the music; when the pedal needs to be changed often due to

79 Banowetz, 81.

80 Riefling, 25.

84

frequent harmony changes, noticeable holes in the sound would be created without finger

pedaling; when a variety of articulation is involved in the music, some degree of finger

pedaling is desired, and the sound will not be too dry if played without the pedal at all.

When leading the student to pursue the natural sound effect of finger pedaling, the

teacher can guide them to imagine that they are utilizing longer stretches of unbroken

pedaling to connect the notes.81 At the same time, students should always be reminded to

keep listening, and to make sure they are keeping a good balance between the melody and

other voices. Concurrent elements such as pedal or various articulation also need to be

listened to carefully.

Composers may indicate finger pedaling by marking the note with a longer time value.

In most of the cases, the long note may also need a greater dynamic emphasis.82 Because

the sound effect created by finger pedaling is not as round in sonority as normal pedaling,

some dynamic and touch compensation in finger pedaling will be necessary to match the

surrounding tonal palette.

81 Faricy, Artistic Pedal Technique: Lessons for Intermediate and Advanced Pianists.

82 Banowetz, 26.

85

Example 5. 6. 1. Finger Pedaling Exercise 1: Carl Czerny, Op. 849, No. 2

The example 5.6.1 is selected from one of the Czerny’s well-known piano exercises.

Each of the quarter notes for the left hand should be held for their full value, while the right

hand is playing different articulations such as legato and staccato. This example is

annotated for finger pedaling, while most left-hand passages in Alberti patterns for

Classical compositions utilize finger pedaling regardless of how it is annotated. As one can

see from Example 5.6.2, when the right hand is playing a various articulation, some degree

of finger pedaling is desired.83

83 Banowetz, 27.

86

Example 5. 6. 2. Finger Pedaling Exercise 2: Louis Kohler, Practical Piano Method,

Op. 300, No. 121.

87

Example 5. 6. 3. Finger Pedaling Exercise 3: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude in C

Major.

Another famous example of the composer’s indication of finger pedaling is Johann

Sebastian Bach’s Prelude in C (Example 5.6.3). Finger pedaling is applied in both the bass

voice and the middle voice. The pedal can be used to add some atmospheric color to the

music, and it should be changed with the harmony change.

88

Example 5. 6. 4. Finger Pedaling Application at Advanced Level: Johanne Brahms,

Op. 118, No. 2.

Example 5.6.4 is a good example to demonstrate the necessary use of finger pedaling.

In this example, there are multiple factors influencing the pedaling and finger pedaling

decisions: 1) to clear harmony changes; 2) to connect melody notes in the left hand that

cannot be connected without the pedal; 3) necessity for the left hand melody notes to be

rounded, sometimes, to be caught in the new pedal, (for example, the staccatos where

liquid staccato is desirable); 4) to clear unwanted dissonance between melody notes (for

example, between the first and second beat in the third measure). In this situation, finger

pedaling will need to be used in conjunction with various kinds of damper pedal. The right-

hand melody should be played in tenuto, and the left hand should use some finger pedaling

to keep the sonority of the last note of the triplets to match the overall pedaled effect of the

passage; this allows the pedal changes to both clear harmony as well as clear any unwanted

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dissonance between the stemmed out melody notes in the left hand into the next beat. The

left-hand thumb needs to stay long enough for the pedal to catch the tone again after

clearing for the harmony in most cases. In other cases, holding the left hand melody note

fully, especially with weighted pressure, will not allow for the roundness of the tone needed

for the next melody note, which needs to be played with the slowest attack possible for the

desired volume with the help of simultaneous pedal. Some of the changes are harder than

others to satisfy all the musical aims, and require more finger pedaling. In other words,

both the left-hand thumb and the fifth (sometimes even the third) finger(s) need to be ready

to finger pedal for different musical purposes and constantly changing pedal damping needs.

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Chapter 6. Conclusion

The teaching sequence above was presented in the order most logical to the author, but

it is only a suggestion. Teachers can and should adjust their teaching style to suit the

individual needs of their students.

The fifty-two examples included in this project are arranged by pedal technique and

ordered from easy to difficult. Naturally, the teacher should decide if all of them should be

used, or if a subset of the exercises would better address the particular needs of their student.

To recap, an overview of the musical examples may be useful. Some were selected from

easier piano exercises or repertoire by Ferdinand Beyer, Bela Bartok, Louis Kohler, Dmitry

Kabalevsky, Friedrich Burgmüller, and Carl Czerny. Other examples were taken from the

piano etudes that are written specifically for the purpose of pedal teaching: Gorno’s

Materials for the Study of Pianoforte Pedals, Whiting’s Pianoforte Pedal Studies,

Maykapar’s Selections from Samuel Maykapar Pedal Preludes: Piano Solos by Master

Composers of the Period, Mirovitch’s The Pedal: The Soul of The Piano, Frank Marshall’s

La Sonoridad Del Piano, Diller and Quaile’s First Pedal-studies for the Piano: 24

Progressive Exercises and Pieces, and Farjeon’s The Art of Piano Pedaling. If interested,

the teacher or the student should refer to the original exercises in full. It is not intended to

suggest that the teacher limits the student to the exercises listed within this project:

exercises that function similarly can be substituted.

For each pedal technique described, in addition to the examples selected for

fundamental training, one or two examples were also extracted from advanced standard

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piano repertoire. These examples are listed as complementary material to provide a glimpse

of the full potential of the studied pedal technique, and how it can be used in an advanced

repertoire. Also, it may provide the teacher with an overall vision of the expected teaching

direction. As mentioned above, the teacher can either play the examples in person or play

recording by great pianists. More detailed discussions regarding the advanced examples

can be provided, depending on the student’s interest and level of performance.

No matter which pedal technique is being studied, in the initial phase of study, the

student should always strive for dependable and consistent control, even if the style is not

the most artful or refined. This needs to be accompanied by development of control in other

technical areas. The precision of the timing for any touch, and dynamic—control being

able to produce the dynamics as intended—are the two factors most intertwined with the

art of pedaling. This naturally complicates the process, and perhaps the teacher will have

to constantly make priorities about where to focus the student’s attention during instruction.

In many instances, especially if the student is a transfer student and their pedaling technique

has not been developed in accordance with the rest of their skills, foot coordination,

separate from hands, may be lacking. This may need to be addressed before refinement of

their pedaling technique can be attempted. More rhythmic pedaling exercises and marking

indicating the exact timing may be very useful in these instances, even if these may seem

superficial and separate from the artistic aims of musical study. After the student has

sufficient foot coordination to be able to approximate the timing needed for more refined

pedaling, the rest of the process can resume more naturally, always with careful listening.

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Throughout the process of guiding students through the various pedal techniques

described in this project, several related aspects should be emphasized to the student in

order for the process to be effective. Some recommendations are provided below;

suggestions already mentioned are reiterated.

1. It is highly recommended that while training the pedal, teachers incorporate some

knowledge of harmony. One of the most basic rules for a student to learn early is that when

the harmony changes, the pedaling should be changed. This is, of course, an over

simplification, as the student must be led to understand later on. The pedal can be used to

create sonority within the same harmony if appropriate for the musical style and context.

The student should also know that the change of harmony is not the only reason to change

the pedaling: there are some other factors that need to be taken into consideration, such as

articulations, dynamics, melodic material, rhythmic patterns, and stylistic conventions.

And some exceptions exist when the pedal doesn’t need to be changed even across

harmonic changes. For example, where such harmonic changes occur in the upper part of

the pianoforte, or where the pedal is used to increase the power of a crescendo84 and when

other parameters permit it to happen without undesirable blurriness.

2. The frequency of pedal change should vary when playing in different registers and

depending on the direction. “An upward melody that lies in a middle to high register can

as a general rule take longer stretches of pedaling than can a downward-moving melody.”85

84 Bukhovtsev, 24.

85 Banowetz, 31.

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“The pedal must be more carefully used in the lower than in the middle and upper portions

of the pianoforte.”86 When playing with the damper pedal, the higher register notes cannot

be retained as long as lower register notes. As explained above, the strings of the higher

register notes are thinner and shorter, while the lower register notes have longer and thicker

strings. This nature dictates that the pedal should be used more carefully and changed more

frequently when playing lower register notes.

3. Pedaling can help highlight dynamic intentions. When a single note or a single chord

needs to be emphasized, the pedal can provide some support to the particular note or chord.

In general, the pedal can be used more easily successfully in crescendo and forte than in

diminuendo and piano passages. When playing a crescendo, the damper pedal can be

employed to increase the degree of crescendo, and the pedal can be changed with a

relatively lower frequency; on the contrary, when playing a diminuendo, a more frequent

pedal change would be recommended and flutter pedal can be an option. But these

suggestions may not be applicable in some cases, and the student always needs to analyze

the context of the music and make corresponding pedal decisions. As the pedal always adds

to the volume, the range of dynamic control at the finger level of the pianist (without the

pedal) will naturally impact the variety of musical contexts in which pedaling can be

applied successfully. With additional technical refinement, the variety of pedaling options

increase exponentially.

86 Ibid., 44.

94

4. The amount of pedaling needed with a scale passage is dependent on the particular

musical context. In general, scales require a higher pedal change frequency, otherwise a

blurred sound will be produced. As discussed, the flutter pedal can be a very good choice

for scales. The student should be equipped with sufficient finger technique when playing

the scales, as the pedal is only meant to serve the musical vision, to add tone color and

sonority; it does not conceal a faulty technique. An exception to the general necessity to

change pedals more frequently in scale passages relates to the register consideration

mentioned earlier: it is possible that some musical contexts call for a succession of various

chords or scales in the upper register to be played without changing the pedal.87

5. If some special pedal marks are indicated by the composer that seem to contradict

the pianist’s pedaling intuition, the player should, in principle, defer to the composer’s

indication and attempt to understand the overall musical effect intended. The player may

also need to consider the possibility of inaccurate or unidiomatic markings and adaptation

may be necessary for the modern piano.

During the process of research for this project, it became evident, as might be suspected,

that there are disagreements among the pedagogues and performers on some details of the

pedal usage or the definitions of certain terminologies. For example, regarding the depths

of flutter pedal, Faricy believes that the flutter pedal can be done at any depth of the damper

pedal, while both Banowetz and Schnabel hold the viewpoint that the flutter pedal should

87 Bukhovtsev, 33.

95

be used at fairly shallow pedal depths. The author believes this is depending on the musical

context—the musical textures, dynamics, registers, acoustics of the space, and other factors.

For a quick reference, a short list of common pedal terminologies with their equivalencies

is provided. As for varied opinions of their usages, it does not have to confuse a pianist; it

can serve as a reminder that the ear is the final judge of the particular musical and

performance context.

In closing, good pedaling depends on good musical taste and a critical ear. Teachers

needs to help their students get accustomed to the process of making their own pedal

decisions; ideally, this should be done as soon as pedaling is introduced. This may entail

using detailed pedal indications when pedaling is first taught, but this may not be necessary

in all instances. More importantly, the teacher should always provide the reasoning for all

pedal decisions. This must be done in conjunction with the discussion of the passage from

the musical point of view to help students form a clearer concept of the sound desired for

the particular musical piece or section. This is the only way to cultivate a student’s taste

for the variety of possible sounds produced from the piano, and it is a cumulative process.

Along with the pedal-teaching process, in order to achieve the desired long-term

improvement in a student’s listening ability, the teacher must remember to let the student

listen and experience the sound as often as possible; simply marking the pedaling may

induce students to follow the markings without listening. It is critical that teachers

demonstrate the sound differences, and guide their students to experiment, (play with full

pedal, half pedal, without pedal, shallower, etc.). This needs to happen while supplying

96

constant and immediate feedback to guide their ears, until the student gradually discovers

the appropriate amount of pedaling and is able to hear the differences with more skill.

The expected teaching outcome at any level of teaching is that the student gains a clear

idea of the ideal sound effect in their mind; student will be able to improve their intuition

with the help of the consistent feedback from the teacher. This will make it easier for the

student to produce the expected sound regardless of the changes in the performance

parameters such as a different piano or a different room. This will require constant

experimentation, by adjusting the depth or length of the pedal, and by refining the musical

concept or technique to provide more pedal options. As the proper mental concepts are

formed, gradually, the student will develop the ability to control the pedal more

instinctively and will be able to naturally and emulate the desired sounds. The timeline for

a student to reach this intuitive level may easily last a couple of decades, if not much more.

As mentioned in the introduction, mastery of the piano pedal is an ongoing, never ending

process, and the role of the teacher is to help the student discover how exciting and creative

the process can be.

97

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