Have you ever wondered why your piano playing sounds flat compared to professional recordings, despite playing all the right notes? The difference often lies not in the fingers but in a powerful expressive tool that many early intermediate players overlook or misuse: the sustain pedal.
The Start Of An Expressive Journey
When I first discovered the pedals on the piano, I was completely enamoured with them! I would hold down the right pedal for entire pieces, creating what I thought was a beautiful wash of sound. Eventually, I loved adding the pedal in other ways as well.
You can imagine my disappointment when my teacher informed me that I couldn’t use them for any Baroque pieces. With time and practice, I’ve come to appreciate the nuances of selective pedalling and how it can transform a piece when used intentionally.
The Dramatic Difference: Playing With vs. Without Pedal
During my years living in Mexico, I listened to a lot of Ranchera music – a genre renowned for its emotional depth and expressive qualities. This musical tradition heavily influenced my composition “Mi Cielito Perdido” (My Lost Love), which captures the bittersweet feeling characteristic of traditional Ranchera ballads.
The difference proper pedalling makes is immediate and dramatic. Without pedal, the notes sound disconnected and mechanical, each existing in isolation. With thoughtful pedalling, those same notes flow together, creating an emotional tapestry that resonates with the listener.
This technique is essential to capturing the essence of Ranchera music, which uses sustained vocal techniques to convey profound emotion. On the piano, the pedal serves as our substitute for a singer’s sustained breath and vibrato, allowing notes to ring together and create a rich sonic landscape that captures the full emotional experience.
My early intermediate students are often amazed when they learn that the pedal isn’t just an on/off switch to be held down throughout an entire piece. They love discovering the nuanced ways to use the pedal that can completely transform their sound.
Of course, there’s always the messy middle stage of learning—muddled notes from holding the pedal too long or disconnected phrases from not pressing it enough—but this is all part of the normal learning process.
Proper Pedal Technique for Expressive Playing
When approaching pedal technique (as seen in the video), your foot should rest comfortably on the pedal with your heel on the floor. The key is learning when to change the pedal—generally with harmonic changes to avoid muddiness.
Notice how changing the pedal with each chord change (while maintaining that connected sound) creates an entirely different musical experience. When adapting the expressive qualities of Mexican Ranchera for piano, the pedal helps recreate the emotional atmosphere that makes traditional Ranchera songs like “Cielito Lindo” so moving.
Instead of thinking about the pedal as simply sustaining notes, consider it as creating a resonant space for your music to breathe. In Ranchera music, singers use sustained techniques and vibrato to express deep feelings—our pedal helps us achieve something similar on the piano.
Practical Applications: From Ranchera to Your Repertoire
The beauty of these pedalling techniques is that you can apply them to virtually any style of music (though perhaps not Baroque, as I learned early on!). Try experimenting with a simple chord progression in B minor inspired by Ranchera harmonies:
B minor → E minor → F# Major → B minor
(If you want to see how this looks, click here.)
With this progression, you can explore different pedalling approaches:
- Basic pedal changes: Change the pedal completely with each chord change for clarity
- Partial pedal changes: Lift just enough to clear the previous harmony but not completely
- Delayed pedal changes: Change the pedal slightly after playing the new chord to create a momentary blend
This technique is especially effective for capturing the emotional quality of ballads across various genres. The sustained notes create an atmosphere that surrounds the melody, giving even simple progressions a professional sound quality.
In Mexico, music brings people together at festivals and celebrations. I remember attending gatherings where people would join in singing Ranchera songs, the sustained emotional quality creating a powerful shared experience. By incorporating these pedalling techniques into our playing, we’re connecting to this rich tradition of expression. The pedal allows us to recreate some of that communal emotional experience on a solo instrument.
Elevate Your Playing Today
The beauty of mastering pedal technique is that it instantly elevates your playing regardless of your technical level. As you practice, focus not just on when to press the pedal, but on how it serves the emotional story you’re telling through your music.
The sustain pedal is often called the “soul of the piano” (thank you, Anton Rubinstein, for that gorgeous description) for good reason—it transforms technical playing into emotional expression. Experiment with different pedalling techniques as demonstrated in the video, and you’ll discover new depths in your playing that will surprise and delight both you and your listeners.
If you are struggling with hand independence (another important intermediate-level skill), be sure to click here for practical tips.
What aspects of your piano playing would you like to make more expressive through pedalling techniques?
Have you tried any of these approaches in your practice? Share your experiences in the comments below—I’d love to hear how these techniques are working for you!
Want to explore more creative piano learning methods? Consider joining our piano studio, where I focus on making every aspect of piano learning engaging and accessible. From beginners to more advanced students, I believe in finding creative solutions that keep you motivated while building solid technical skills.
