A Pedalling Test - Harry Farjeon

“How perfectly ripping it would be,” exclaimed Pamela, “to have an uncle who wasn’t always thinking about that old pedal.”

“And how awfully jolly, on the other hand,” murmured the uncle, “to have a nice that was.”

These remarks occurred after the music-lesson. You see, Pam arrived to find me hot with a New Idea. That’s the time pupils get cooked. There’s no escaping a man hot with a New Idea. He bastes you, roasts you, and serves you up.

Of course, we all know that the Sustaining Pedal – or do you call it the Loud Pedal? Well, get off the piano-stool and listen to it. Put your ear close to the metal tongue. Is it loud? However, to get back to the Idea: we all know that the Sustaining Pedal should be lowered after the notes have been struck, especially when there is a passage of chords which must sound legato. We know this, but are we sure we do it? How can we find a test? Here is one: the one that disgusted Pamela. Though I will say this for her: she wasn’t disgusted until she was caught.

Play this. Just an ordinary legato chord passage: -

Here there is no particular test. You are doing what you often have to do, and if you are careful enough it will come out right. But to test whether you have been careful enough, play it as it is given.

Now, if you have held on the pedal up to the moment of striking each new chord, and have immediately raised and lowered it, the effect will be the same as if you were still playing minims. Perfectly smooth; joined without the cracks showing. But there are two ways of doing it wrong.

If you take up the pedal before the new chord and lower again with it, you “hear the crack,” and don’t get your legato. That’s what Pamela did the first time. (“Uncle, I didn’t!”)

Or if you take up the pedal after the new chord and lower it still later, you not only blur the chord, but you don’t catch it at all with the lowered pedal. Then you hear a very big crack indeed, and that’s what Pamela did the second time. (“Going off, Pam? Good-bye.”)

Try both wrong ways, and then the right way. And finish up by playing the whole exercise in minims, right and both wrongs. Then I’ll be satisfied. :-)