Learning to play the piano is an exciting journey that begins with learning fundamental skills like coordinating notes and rhythm. As you progress, adding pedal technique becomes a crucial step in shaping your sound. Pedals allow you to connect melodies, support harmonies, and bring greater expressiveness to your playing, making even simple pieces sound polished and complete. Understanding how and when to use pedals is essential for every beginner aiming to develop a full, dynamic piano technique.
What do piano pedals do?
Piano pedals allow you to control what happens to notes after you play them. You change how long notes ring, how soft or loud they feel, and how seamlessly musical ideas transition. In short: pedals help you craft a more expressive musical story.
Most acoustic pianos come with three pedals, though even with just one or two, the same core ideas apply.
How and when to use each piano pedal?
1. Sustain pedal (right pedal)
The sustain pedal, or damper pedal, is the pedal most often used by beginners and professionals alike. Located on the right, it lets notes ring out after you’ve lifted your fingers from the keys. This simple action gives music a warm, flowing quality, ideal for ballads, lyrical pieces, or moments when you want your playing to breathe.
A key technique for clean pedaling is to press the sustain pedal immediately after you’ve played a chord, rather than at the exact same moment. This allows the notes to sound clearly before the pedal blends them together, ensuring that your harmonies remain crisp rather than smeared. As you move to a new harmony or chord, briefly lift the pedal and press it down again in a swift motion, this quick release-and-repress action prevents overlapping chords from running into each other, keeping your sound distinct and musical. With careful coordination, you’ll notice your playing becomes more expressive and polished, free of unwanted blurriness that can result from holding the pedal too long between changes.
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2. Soft pedal (left pedal)
The left pedal, known as the una corda, is powerful for adding subtlety and nuance to your piano playing. Unlike the sustain pedal, which affects how long notes ring out, the una corda changes the very color and texture of your tone. When engaged, it softens the sound, making notes quieter and more delicate, dealing with moments that call for tenderness or intimate expression. This tonal shift allows you to create contrast within a piece, giving dynamic variety and emotional depth without changing your tempo or touch.
On a grand piano, the una corda pedal physically shifts the keyboard slightly so that the hammers strike fewer strings, usually one instead of the usual two or three, resulting in a softer, more muted sound. Upright pianos achieve a similar effect differently: the pedal moves the hammers closer to the strings, reducing the force of the strike and thus the volume and brightness of the notes. Both mechanisms provide pianists with a valuable way to control dynamics and timbre, enabling expressive shaping of quiet passages and delicate musical phrases that add richness and refinement to your performance.
You can practice using the soft pedal on Skoove’s arrangement of the traditional melody‘Greensleeves’.
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3. Sostenuto pedal (middle pedal)
The sostenuto pedal is often the most subtle and least frequently used of the three pedals, but it offers unique expressive possibilities. Unlike the sustain pedal, which holds all notes, the sostenuto pedal sustains only the specific piano notes you are holding at the moment you press it, allowing you to freely play other notes without sustaining them. This selective sustain feature lets you create layers within your music, holding a bass note or chord steady while your hands move independently on top, preserving clarity and preventing the sound from becoming muddy.
Not all pianos include a true sostenuto pedal, sometimes the middle pedal serves a different function, such as a practice pedal that muffles the overall volume for quiet playing. When available, learning to use the sostenuto pedal effectively can add sophistication to your playing by enabling controlled, sustained support of key tones while adding melodic or harmonic movement above. It’s especially useful in pieces where certain notes need to ring out continuously without blending all sounds together, helping maintain balance and definition in complex textures.
Pedals on digital pianos
If you’re playing on a digital piano or MIDI keyboard, you may find that your instrument has only a single pedal jack labeled “sustain,” which replicates the function of the damper pedal on an acoustic piano.
However, many modern digital pianos now come equipped with all three pedals: sustain, soft, and sostenuto, allowing you to experience the full range of expressive possibilities similar to those on an acoustic instrument. In addition, contemporary music apps and software often simulate pedal behavior, enabling you to explore nuanced pedaling techniques even if your hardware setup is limited. This means you can develop your pedal skills and add emotional depth to your playing using just a basic digital keyboard and virtual pedal effects, closing the gap between beginner-friendly equipment and professional-level expressiveness.
How to improve your pedal technique
Getting comfortable with piano pedals requires consistent practice, but even the earliest attempts can bring noticeable improvements to your playing.
A good starting point is to keep your heel firmly planted on the floor while applying gentle pressure with the ball of your foot, which allows for smooth and controlled pedal movements.
Avoid pressing or releasing the pedal abruptly, as sudden stomps can create unwanted noise or disrupt the flow of the music.
Most importantly, it’s essential to coordinate your pedal work with your hand movements; well-timed pedaling ensures your transitions between chords and harmonies sound seamless and musical. Developing this coordination early sets a strong foundation for more advanced expressive techniques as you progress.
Sustain pedal: a simple sequence
| 1️⃣ | Play your chord. |
| 2️⃣ | Immediately press the pedal down. |
| 3️⃣ | Hold as the chord rings. |
| 4️⃣ | Briefly lift and re-press as you change chords. |
Use it for legato phrases and richer harmonies.
Soft pedal: adding shade
| 1️⃣ | Press before playing a quiet section. |
| 2️⃣ | Pay attention to the subtle shift in tone. |
| 3️⃣ | Release it to return to the normal sound. |
Use it for dynamic contrast or to add emotional color.
Sostenuto pedal: layering sounds
| 1️⃣ | Play and hold the notes you want to sustain. |
| 2️⃣ | Press the pedal, then let go of those keys. |
| 3️⃣ | Those notes keep ringing while you play others above. |
Great for holding long bass notes while adding melody on top.
Reading pedal markings
Most sheet music uses simple visual cues under the staff to indicate pedal use. A solid, continuous line signals when to press and hold the pedal, while a break or gap shows when to lift it. You might also see the abbreviation “Ped.” marking the pedal down point and an asterisk (*) indicating when to release. These markings provide a clear starting point, especially for beginners, but as you gain experience, it’s important to trust your ear and musical intuition to adjust pedaling for phrasing and expression beyond the written instructions.
Basically, all this means is push down the damper pedal and lift it each time the line line is broken. In notated music, it looks like this:
Common pedal mistakes to avoid as a beginner
Using pedals correctly requires coordination between your hands and feet, and this skill develops gradually with practice. Each pedal has a distinct function: the sustain pedal prolongs sound, the soft pedal alters tone to create gentle dynamics, and the sostenuto pedal sustains selected notes for complex layering. Understanding when and how to apply each pedal helps maintain clarity while enhancing musical impression, avoiding common issues like blurred harmonies or overly muddy sound.
Developing a confident pedaling technique also means learning to read pedal markings in sheet music and listening closely to how the pedals affect your tone and phrasing. Beginners should start by following pedal instructions closely, then gradually trust their ear and intuition to adjust pedaling for expressive effect. By practicing with attention to timing and sound quality, you’ll enrich your piano playing with warmth, depth, and professional polish.
- Overusing the sustain pedal can blur harmonies and sound muddy.
- Lifting the pedal too late causes unwanted clashes or unclear transitions.
- Pressing too hard or stomping can create noise and distract from your performance.
- Ignoring the soft pedal means missing out on dynamic nuance and gentle textures.
By staying aware of these habits and practicing with focused attention, you’ll develop a cleaner, more expressive sound.
How to use piano pedals like a professional
As you continue to explore pedal technique, remember that each new skill you add brings a deeper dimension to your piano playing. Mastering when and how to use the pedals gives your performances warmth, clarity, and expressive depth, helping you turn simple melodies into rich, compelling music. Don’t rush the process, take time to notice how subtle shifts in pedal timing, pressure, and coordination with your hands can shape every phrase in unique ways.
If you’re looking for a practical and enjoyable way to build these skills, try our Skoove piano learning app. With interactive lessons and a wide selection of familiar songs, Skoove lets you practice real-life pedaling techniques in a supportive environment. It’s a great way to discover firsthand how expressive, colorful, and engaging your piano performances can become as your mastery of the pedals grows. Give it a try and see how much your playing transforms!
Author of this blog post:
Alvin Shipp
Published by Lydia Ogn from the Skoove team
