fantasie impromptu pedal

[Russell Miller]

Just want to ask your opinion on something.

With the pedal full down and following the markings, at full speed the rapid
passages sound very blurred. When I half-pedal it, the melody stands out
and I get the sound that I want (I want it to be kind of tinkly and
ephemeral).

Is there precedence for this or is my piano just too noisy? It was a
freebie that hasn't been tuned right yet, so that could be too, but it
really sounds like a pedal issue.

TIA.

--Russell

[gregpresley]

You have to go by what your ear tells you. In the instruments of Chopin's
time, the decay of the sound was swifter than on our pianos, and some
pedalling indications will lead to blurring. Half--pedal might work some of
the time - in others,changing the pedal more often. However, another
solution often lies in emphasizing the lowest notes in the left hand. The
biggest number of overtones are generated by the low notes on the piano, and
if those notes are played loud enough and captured in the pedal, many
chromatic notes in the upper registers will suddenly be able to be played
without extreme blurriness. Soften the left hand, or miss it in the pedal,
and the right hand will be unbearably blurry.

Post by Russell Miller
Just want to ask your opinion on something.
With the pedal full down and following the markings, at full speed the rapid
passages sound very blurred. When I half-pedal it, the melody stands out
and I get the sound that I want (I want it to be kind of tinkly and
ephemeral).
Is there precedence for this or is my piano just too noisy? It was a
freebie that hasn't been tuned right yet, so that could be too, but it
really sounds like a pedal issue.
TIA.
--Russell
--
Russell Miller
Somewhere near Sioux City, Iowa
Freelance computer programmer/administrator, pianist, and generally nice
guy.

...

[Russell Miller]

Post by gregpresley
However, another
solution often lies in emphasizing the lowest notes in the left hand.

I'll have to try this, but this solution doesn't appeal to me. There's a
particular sound that I like out of the lowest notes as well, and it's kind
of a half-staccato. I consider the lowest notes in this piece to be
somewhat of a melody in themselves and they also require the same kind of
ephemeral tone.

I think a half pedal may be the best solution, coupled with a little
intensive work at making the jumps legato.

Thanks.

--Russell

[J.D. Wu]

Post by Russell Miller
I think a half pedal may be the best solution, coupled with a little
intensive work at making the jumps legato.

I can barely play two bars of FI on a good day, but I'll just add a
comment here: it's tough getting half-pedaling to work on my Wurly
spinet. Half-pedaling sustains the treble without sustaining the bass
- just the opposite of the (also useless) 'bass sustain' pedal. Very
frustrating.

[F. Kuik]

Most of the time with pedalling I'm advised to just play the piece without
pedal and then add the pedal bit by bit until it sounds right. It's really
differcult to get the right sound when you just go with the indications on
paper in my experience.

Post by Russell Miller
Just want to ask your opinion on something.
With the pedal full down and following the markings, at full speed the rapid
passages sound very blurred. When I half-pedal it, the melody stands out
and I get the sound that I want (I want it to be kind of tinkly and
ephemeral).
Is there precedence for this or is my piano just too noisy? It was a
freebie that hasn't been tuned right yet, so that could be too, but it
really sounds like a pedal issue.
TIA.
--Russell
--
Russell Miller
Somewhere near Sioux City, Iowa
Freelance computer programmer/administrator, pianist, and generally nice
guy.

...

[Cc88m]

Post by F. Kuik
Most of the time with pedalling I'm advised to just play the piece without
pedal and then add the pedal bit by bit until it sounds right.

I second that advice; this piece (actually practically all pieces with pedal)
should at least initially be practice w/o pedal, and then pedal added later.
Also, in Chopin, the thumb and pinky have special importance in practically all
of his compositions.
C. C. Chang; more on piano practice at

http://members.aol.com/chang8828/contents.htm

[Fred]

Post by Cc88m
I second that advice; this piece (actually practically all pieces with pedal)
should at least initially be practice w/o pedal, and then pedal added later.

Ok. But I suppose you noticed that the weight of the keys is not the same
with or without pedal ?

[Cc88m]

Post by Fred
Ok. But I suppose you noticed that the weight of the keys is not the same
with or without pedal ?

Yes; it is considerably lighter with the pedal down, especially on pianos with
springs on the dampers (believe it or not, even some grands have these springs,
especially the low notes; otherwise the strings can overpower the dampers).
This makes things generally easier when you add the pedal, and is another
reason why you should initially practice w/o pedal. Once you get used to the
"lighter" action using sloppy pedal, you will have a hard time when you get up
to speed and pedal correctly.
C. C. Chang; more on piano practice at

http://members.aol.com/chang8828/contents.htm

[Terryo]

Post by Cc88m

Post by F. Kuik
Most of the time with pedalling I'm advised to just play the piece without
pedal and then add the pedal bit by bit until it sounds right.

I second that advice; this piece (actually practically all pieces with pedal)
should at least initially be practice w/o pedal, and then pedal added later.
Also, in Chopin, the thumb and pinky have special importance in practically all
of his compositions.
C. C. Chang; more on piano practice at

I also agree.
I developed the VERY BAD HABIT of going heavy on the pedal because it
tended to cover up my mistakes (or so I thought). This turned me into
a very sloppy player. Finally I had to actually hook my foot around
the leg of the piano bench to keep from using the pedal. Now it is
the last thing I add when learning a piece. I don't dare let myself
use the pedal until I have the piece down note-perfect.