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Topic: Pedal for each clef? (Read 4211 times) previous topic - next topic

Pedal for each clef?

After some experimenting, it seems that I need a Pedal mark for each clef if I want the effect in each clef (and I should want it to be universal, shouldn't I?)
When I see written music, I don't see Pedal marks more than once on a vertical plane; why is this?
I want the Pedal to sustain on playback (I'm not interested in printing.)
Is there a location on the staff where I can place the Pedal command so it works for the entire staff?
BTW, if one of the Pedals on a piano is sustain, what is the purpose of the other (I know, that's a really basic question, and I'm showing my ignorance, but I have to ask.)
For playback purposes, shouldn't there be a Release for every Pedal command? I have a piece of music here that has 9 Pedal commands in a row before there's a release. I suspect 8 of these is for the 2nd Pedal, right?
All help appreciated,
Gordon

Re: Pedal for each clef?

Reply #1 –
Usually, (and by default) each staff is assigned to its own unique midi channel. This means that a pedal (or any other) command will only affect the staff (i.e. channel) to which it's assigned.

You can circumvent this by setting both piano staves to the same midi channel in Staff Properties --> Midi. Then anything you do on one staff will also affect the other. That is, except dynamics and dynamic variances, since these are applied on a per-note basis.

Fred

Re: Pedal for each clef?

Reply #2 –
About multi pedal for one release mark, it is sometimes laziness that leads to that. Many pianist I know interpret it the exceeding pedal marks as a release+immediate pedal.

comments anyone ? (I'm not a pianist you know)

Re: Pedal for each clef?

Reply #3 –
I'd agree with marsu.
If you see
Ped......Ped......Ped.......
that probably means
Ped.....*Ped.....*Ped.......

The three pedals are normally (l to r)
Una corda (the "soft" pedal) which on grands moves the hammers such that only one string is played. On other pianos, the hammers are moved closer to the string (thus reducing their "run up" and striking velocity).
Middle is either a sustain on notes already played (but not on notes subsequently played, I don't know how they do this), OR the practice pedal, which drops a cloth between the hammers and strings to mute the sound
Right is normally sustain - preventing the dampers returning so that notes still with the keys down and subsequent notes will ring on until the pedal is released.

Andrew

Re: Pedal for each clef?

Reply #4 –
On the upright I had access to as a child, the middle pedal was a sustain for the bass region (below middle C, or maybe just below) while allowing the treble region to act normally (damp-on-release).

Fred

Re: Pedal for each clef?

Reply #5 –
Thanks, everyone. This is just the kind of information I was looking for.
Gordon

Re: Pedal for each clef?

Reply #6 –
To follow up on Andrew's note:

On grands, the middle pedal sustains notes already struck by keeping the dampers raised only on those notes. (Normally the dampers would fall and damp out the sound as soon as the keys were released.) This is in contrast to the right pedal, which raises *all* the dampers.

On uprights the use of the middle pedal varies. On some, it's a dummy (and on some "honest" uprights it's missing entirely). On others it does what Fred describes.

I've never run into the "practice pedal" behavior Andrew mentions, but I wouldn't doubt it. (This would have to be an uprights-only behavior, wouldn't it?)

Re: Pedal for each clef?

Reply #7 –
To follow up on Grants first note,
Billy Joel uses this pedal to great effect on the intro to 'Angry Young Man'. He sets the bass C octaves to sustain, whilst the rest of the notes can be played normally. He then does the huge demi-semi quaver intro and then hammers the sustain notes to ring over the second time he plays the D-S quavers. Great sound. Apparently he used to break piano bass strings doing this. What strength!
Adam