<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [CAUT] excessive pedaling?</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> On 3/18/05 11:21 AM, "Jeff Olson" <jlolso= n@cal.net> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>Exactly.  It seems that most i= f not all the list members seem to view heavy use of the "dua" cor= da pedal as a priori justified, apparently because some pianists do that (ag= ain, I haven't observed concert or highly skilled pianists doing what Wim de= scribed), or because it allegedly allows an added range of timbre (presumabl= y one that couldn't be duplicated by mere expressive playing).   I'd like to propose that apparently radical notion that if this pedal disap= peared tomorrow, expressiveness in piano performance would not only not decl= ine, it would, if anything, improve.  You have, basically, an infinite = dynamic range from applying different degrees of force to a key alone, witho= ut what is, essentially, a special-effect pedal.  Yes, some pianists ma= y use it, but that doesn't demonstrate its utility; it may simply confirm th= at people will use a function that's available, especially if it can serve a= s a crutch.   </BLOCKQUOTE> Hi Jeff,     I used to share that view, as an aspiring pianist. = And it is probably true that there are many pianists who “use it as a = crutch” because they haven’t developed the finger control necess= ary to produce fine gradations of tone.     But my initial prejudice against use of una corda w= as based on my own experience, which did not include playing on pianos that = had been prepared to what I now consider to be standard concert readiness. I= OW, they weren’t una corda voiced. Most of the time, a full shift woul= d put the two strings in hammer grooves. Or on the edge of hammer grooves (e= ven worse).     Artistic use of a well voiced una corda can be a re= velation. It is definitely a part of my repertoire as a pianist today. I can= play quite well without one, but I sure wouldn’t do so if I had a cho= ice. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico </BODY> </HTML>