Pedal and dynamics
Step 2 of L3. Use the sustain pedal cleanly and shape music with loud and soft.
Skills: Dynamics, Pedal
You are ready to move on when
- Change the sustain pedal after each chord in a slow chord progression with no gaps or blurringCheck yourself: Record four slow chords with a pedal change on each and compare the timing of your foot with the reference video.
- Pedal goes down just after each new chord
- No silence between chords
- No blur of the old chord
- Heel stays on the floor
- Play a phrase that grows from p to f and back, with a change you can clearly hear on a recordingCheck yourself: Record the phrase and listen back without watching your hands. Can you hear where the loudest point is?
- Soft is really soft
- Loud without banging
- Gradual change, not sudden
- Play a melody with its left-hand accompaniment clearly softer than the right handCheck yourself: Record the piece and compare the balance between the hands with the reference video.
- Melody stands out
- Accompaniment even and quiet
- Balance stays the same throughout