soft, una corda pedal

[Dave Nereson]

> I press that left pedal, all the keys are loose - see them move!" Well,
> lady, your una corda pedal is a bit squeaky, but it seems to function
> reasonably well

The left pedal on a grand came to be called the "una corda" pedal since it
shifted the action so that the hammers would hit only one (una) rather than
both strings of the unison (pianos had two-string unisons back then).  But
now that they have three-string unisons, "due cordi" would be more correct
("two strings").  But on a vertical, when the left pedal is used, all three
strings (two in the bass, of course) are still struck, so "soft pedal" is
more correct than "una corda".  On most pianos, though, it doesn't make the
volume that much "softer"; "half-blow" pedal or "more lost motion" pedal is
more accurate, except on those pianos that have lost motion compensators.
And I still can't figure out how to get the wippens out to reglue a loose
jack flange on one of those actions without removing that rod, which isn't
so easy.  The swings, or hangers just don't bend as easy as those on a
hammer rail.                --Dave Nereson, RPT, Denver