Sustain pedal

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A sustain or sustaining pedal (also damper pedal or loud pedal) is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. It is typically the rightmost of two or three pedals. When pressed, the sustain pedal "sustains" all the strings on the piano, removing the dampers from all strings and allowing them to vibrate freely. This serves two purposes. First, it assists the pianist in producing a legato (playing smoothly connected notes) in passages where no fingering is available to make this otherwise possible. Secondly, raising the damper pedal causes all the strings to vibrate sympathetically with whichever notes are being played, which greatly enriches the piano's tone.

The sostenuto pedal, in contrast, sustains only notes which are depressed at the time the pedal is depressed. It is the usual middle of three pedals; but in some upright pianos the middle pedal instead lowers a veil of felt between the hammers and the strings for quiet practising.

Vibraphones also have sustain pedals that allow the metal bars to ring, and some tubular bells also have a sustain pedal.

Appropriate use of the pedal is often left to the musician's discretion, but composers and music editors also notate it. The most common symbol for this is a horizontal line below the grand staff, which lifts up and down with the pedal. An alternative (and older) notation is the use of "Ped." indicating where the pedal should be depressed, and an asterisk showing where it should be lifted. Occasionally there is a general direction at the start of a movement instructing that the sustain pedal be applied continuously throughout. This may be marked as senza sordini, or similar (see Moonlight Sonata for a classic example).

In General MIDI, the sustain pedal information is controlled by Control Change number 64 (CC 64).

Sustain pedal

See also