sustain pedal
Note-lengthening lever
The sustain pedal is the rightmost pedal on a piano, which when pressed allows notes to continue sounding after the keys are released.
It lifts all the dampers from the strings, letting them vibrate freely and blend together.
Essential for legato playing and rich tonal color: She held the sustain pedal through the final chord.
Also called the damper pedal.
Device reducing vibration or flow
- legatoUnbroken musical phrasing
- phrasingManner of expressing something
- articulationClear vocal expression
- voicingExpressing aloud
fingering · pedaling · depress · release · lift · hold · timing · coordination
Keyed percussion instrument
- fortepianoEarly hammer-action keyboard
- grand pianoLarge horizontal keyboard instrument
- uprightVertical or morally sound
- digital pianoElectric keyboard instrument
synthesizer · keyboard · electric piano · Rhodes · Wurlitzer · vibraphone · organ
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- harmonicsFrequencies above the fundamental
- overtonesImplicit secondary meanings
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- ringingSustained resonant sound
sonority · reverberation · amplification · timbre · prolongation · bloom · warmth · richness
damper
Device reducing vibration or flow
- legatoUnbroken musical phrasing
- phrasingManner of expressing something
- articulationClear vocal expression
voicing · fingering · pedaling · depress · release · lift · hold · timing · coordination · blending
piano
Keyed percussion instrument
- fortepianoEarly hammer-action keyboard
- grand pianoLarge horizontal keyboard instrument
- uprightVertical or morally sound
digital piano · synthesizer · keyboard · electric piano · Rhodes · Wurlitzer · vibraphone · organ
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- harmonicsFrequencies above the fundamental
- overtonesImplicit secondary meanings
- decayGradual organic breakdown
ringing · sonority · reverberation · amplification · timbre · prolongation · bloom · warmth · richness · fidelity
damper
Device reducing vibration or flow
footswitch · lever · spring · hinge · rod · felt · brass · adjustment · height · tension
asterisk
Typographical reference mark
- harmonyharmony, chord, chords, triad, triads
- Pianogrand piano, upright piano, fortepiano, piano strings, soundboard
- controlsbutton, switch, dial, knob, lever
- pedalsaccelerator, foot brake, treadle
- digital pianokeys, weighted keys, touch sensitivity, polyphony, octaves
- piano accessoriespiano bench, piano stool, metronome, piano cover, piano tuner
sustain pedaldamper
Device reducing vibration or flow
mute · staccato · soft pedal · palm muting · silence
sustain, pedal, sustained, sustainable, pedals, sustaining, pedalling, unsustainable, pedalled