Not really a "soft" pedal

[Don Rose]

Hi Avery,

>   I've been having a little discussion going about the above subject and am
>wondering how other tech's regulate the soft pedal. He commented that
>pianists use the damper pedal in quarter and half gradations. Why not the
>left pedal?
>   This is in reference to regulating so that the action is shifted only
>slightly, to change the tone, rather than all the way onto the right two
>string grooves.
>   I have done both, but had never really considered it his way. The full
>shift does give the pianist more options and that makes sense to me.
>   Do you agree? Comments?
>
>Avery Todd
>atodd@uh.edu
>
I think we would be better off not calling it a "soft" pedal. It is used mainly for coloration,
and I have seen one piano in use at a concert level where the pedal actually worked in
reverse--two strings off and three when depressed.
Call it a shift pedal.