Both musicians and people who just love to listen piano, are fascinated with the mechanical side of the instrument. Since Mozart and Beethoven’s time composers and performers alike experimented with the Piano Pedaling, trying to produce the rich , full and more unique sounds to enhance the overall emotion of the piece. The world of musicians is still debating about: should we perform J.S. Bach’s keyboard music with , or without the pedal. Although, Bach’s contemporary D.Scarlatti, who was born in the same 1685 year with no doubt considered to be the “pedal -performed” composer.
So, here there is, just read on below...

The Ups and Downs of Pedaling.

Pianos come with either Two, or Three pedals. The most used Right Pedal is called the Damper Pedal. On the left is the Soft Pedal. Majority of the Grand Pianos have a Middle Pedal, called the Sostenuto Pedal.

THE DAMPER PEDAL: it lifts all of the dampers off the strings, so they vibrate freely. The dampers are the pieces of wood, covered with soft felt that touch strings, and keep them from vibrating. If all dampers are raised- the sounds echoes and notes are “blurred” together. When the pedal is released, the dampers come down and touch the strings. This stops the sound. To prevent a “musical mess”, the pedal is released to clear the air, then quickly pressed again.
Piano music have several types of signs to indicate the Pedal in the music piece. The most common mark is written underneath the Base clef line.
The horizontal line with points that indicate when to release the pedal is an alternative pedal marking that many publishers now use.
The traditional , or European pedal marking involves two signs: the "Ped" abbreviation and the Asterisk.
Sometimes Italian term con pedale is used on music. This means to play with the pedal, but musician have to decide where.
The good way to press the pedal (following any of the above markings) is right after the first strong note in the measure and release it with the next sound, where pedal is supposed to change. It ‘s never good to use pedal with passages of adjacent notes, or keep it for a long time without the change.

THE SOSTENUTO (middle) PEDAL: works much like the Damper. However, it only holds just a few of the dampers up. Sostenuto Pedal keeps one note, or chord, while all other notes sound as if no pedal is used. Sostenuto Pedal is often played in more advanced pieces, to create a special effect.

THE SOFT PEDAL is on the far left, and does not affect dampers at all. Instead it shifts the entire keyboard a little, so the strings are not touched by hammers. This produce a softer sound. The music is marked Una Corda (for one string), or
Tre Corda (for three strings). Beethoven was the first composer to use the Una Corda marking. Often both Dumper and Soft Pedals are pressed together at the same tome with the pianist’s both feet’s.

To use any of the pedals-the heel should stay in contact with the floor, as the pedal is pressed with the ball of the foot.
The Pedal plying methods are vary greatly. Yet, the most “approved method” is the syncopated, or rhythmic pedal pressing. When pedal should be pressed right after the strong (first ) beat of the measure, held, then released along with the next strong beat of the next measure.
There is no rule in regards pedaling. So, it is fun to experiment with the different sounds, pedaling creates. Like everything else in life: the Pedal is best to use in moderation.