[CAUT] More Thoughts on Pedaling

[Ed Sutton]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
Fazioli offers a four pedal model. The fourth pedal is a half-blow pedal, i.e. a soft pedal without change of timbre.  Add to this the possibility of a touch weight changing pedal with the MBA and you will need a helper to press the extra pedals.  Try to figure out all the possible combinations.  Sometimes enough is enough.
ES


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Fred Sturm 
To: College and University Technicians
Sent: 3/24/2005 9:32:15 AM 
Subject: Re: [CAUT] More Thoughts on Pedaling


On 3/23/05 10:22 PM, "Jeff Olson" <jlolson@cal.net> wrote:


In other words, why the bias to an artificially induced softness as opposed to an artificially induced loudness? If one is deemed desirable, why not the other?

Imagine instead of shifting the action to strike one string (as it did originally), the default was one string, and the shift caused two strings to be struck. Is there any reason, other than subjective preference, for one to exist and not the other? For that matter, if a mechanically induced softness is desirable, why not employ a "mute" pedal (one that places a strip of felt between hammers and strings)? Surely that would dramatically alter the timbre (harmonic series emphasis), and thus be a good thing? 


Hi Jeff,
    I realize your post is, for the most part, thoroughly tongue in cheek, but want to take the opportunity to point out that there were many, many inventive folks who came up with various “effects” pedals, especially in the late 18th and early 19th century. The “moderator” pedal (felt between hammers and strings) was very common – almost invariably present in uprights and squares, and often in grands, for quite some time – without the mechanical “catch” we now see on uprights allowing it to be used as a “practice” or “apartment” stop. IOW, it was intended as an “artistic” pedal, not one to be used to avoid annoying the rest of the families and the neighbors. On the loud side of the spectrum, there was the “Bassoon” pedal – a strip of parchment rested lightly on the strings – and in some cases an early version of “honky-tonk” (hard leather strips instead of metal tabs). Along with tambourines and a bass drumstick against the soundboard and much more. There’s a great video done by Badura-Skoda, available from U Indiana Press, which has performance samples of some of these.
    While CPE Bach didn’t have an una corda to use, he did perform his solo stuff mostly on a clavichord, where he had the possibility of “bebung” (vibrato, created by varying pressure on the key and hence the hammer). So maybe Wim’s prof was trying to emulate that effect by varying pressure on the pedal <g>.
    But the bottom line on an effectively voiced una corda is that one is creating an additional range of timbral possibilities, in addition to what one has put into the hammers in their tre corde position by voicing. Additional range of volume as well, especially for fast and furious playing where it becomes difficult to achieve an even pp (but that is often called for). 
    As for half-pedal and any amount of intermediate pedal voicing, it’s not just to satisfy the needs of those obsessive pedalists like Wim’s prof. Anyone using una corda will need a reasonably even voicing gradient through the range of the pedal play for transitional passages, where there are long and gradual crescendi and decrescendi. If you have the pedal fully depressed for your pp, and need to move gradually to mf, f and ff, you don’t want to suddenly let up on the pedal. The timbral change is too great. So you gradually let up on the pedal. Which is why any “surprises” between fully depressed and back to tre corde are, shall we say, to be avoided.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/05/3e/af/5d/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--