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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Without a Rightly Directed Pedal Technique the Art of Playing the Player-
Piano Does Not Develop Beyond the Level of the Mechanical—This Im-
portant Subject Discussed in Informative and Thoroughly Logical Way.
The words which form the subject matter of
this article—pedal technique—are intended to re-
fer to the pedals of the player-piano and not to
what is usually called "the pedal" by pianists,
namely, the right hand or sustaining pedal of the
p:ano as manually played. A large and ever-grow-
ing literature exists on the use and abuse of what
has been called the soul of the piano; and this de-
partment has occasionally had something of the
kind written from the special viewpoint of the
player-pianist. But the technique of the player
pedals is a very different, albeit an equally impor-
tant, matter.
One may assume every reader of this page to be
aware in a general way that what is loosely termed
"expression" in playing the player-piano is power-
fully affected by the manner of using the pedals.
It is a matter of simple experience that when one
"kicks" hard on the pedal the sound of the tones
being played is made louder. It is equally well
known that the less energetically one "pumps" the
softer the playing sounds. Mechanically, the mean-
ing of this is that the player operates by atmo-
spheric pressure against its moving parts, this
pressure being made available by partial vacuum
produced on the inside of those parts. Now, in
piano playing, the more rapidly the hammer is
hurled at the string the louder the string sounds,
and vice-versa. Without going into the technics
of the matter, we may also say that the harder
one pumps the more external pressure is available
from moment to moment, and therefore the more
energetically does the pneumatic playing action
operate the piano hammer action, with the result,
logically following, that we find the force of play-
ing to be proportional to the energy of pumping.
Now it is plain, having got so far, that we must
go on to a conception still more refined. The per-
formance of piano music requires five great ele-
ments to exist, apart from the element of technical
finger capacity, which in its purely mechanical
aspect we may disregard. These elements are
speed, rhythm, phrasing, dynamic level and accent.
Taking only the last two into consideration, we
see that it is not enough to say that a piece of
music must be played for, let us say, so many bars
a: one level of loudness and for so many more
at another level. For just as the human voice in
its natural, unstudied speech rises and falls both
in pitch and loudness, so also that other language,
music, requires constant change of levels not only
in pitch but also in dynamic energy. These varia-
tions may be from bar to bar, from beat to beat,
from tone to tone even. They may be, and fre-
quently are, quite incalculable beforehand; they
may, and often do, depend upon the mood of the
performer, and upon the emotional atmosphere
which surrounds him and his hearers, quite as
much as upon any special indications which the
composer may have written on his score.
Again, the fifth element, that of accentuation,
requires equally a constant variation in dynamic
level, only in this case the variation is based on
rhythm rather than on emotional conditions, and
is therefore more stable. Although there may and
will always be variations in the placement of em-
phasis by individual artists in the performance of
any piece of music, still the general outline of the
accentuation scheme is always the same in its broad
conceptions for any such piece.
Plainly, then, it is indicated that, in the absence
of other and better methods for obtaining varia-
tions in dynamics, the player pedals must be used
as an important element in the technique of play-
ing. That other means exist is of course well
known, but with all the wealth of buttons, chokers
and accent devices of one sort or another, the aid
of the pedal is always called for, while in a large
and very important type of instrument, numbering
many individual makes, the entire burden of ac-
centing and dynamic change is left to the pedals.
It must be remembered that in any case general
changes of dynamic level, such as the building up
of a long crescendo for instance, are necessarily
the work of pedal technique alone. Accentuation
is entrusted to the pedals, in many players, as an
additional task.
It is therefore not only desirable, but quite nec-
essary, to gain a sound and rightly directed pedal
technique. Not otherwise can one expect to de-
velop the art of playing the player-piano beyond
the level of the purely mechanical. We have heard
it said that it appears to be beyond the power of
most people to grasp the idea that management of
the pedals involves any technique at all. If this
indeed be so, then how much more is it necessary
to show what ought to be done and how to do it!
The first step in acquiring this technique is recog-
nition of the fact that the pedals are called on to
supply all the power used in the player mechanism ;
not alone the power for causing the appropriate pneu-
matics to speak, but also power to operate the pneu-
matic motor which drives the roll and controls the
phrasing and speed, power for the sustaining pedal
device (if this be pneumatic), power to operate the
hammer-rail lifts (if they are pneumatic), power
for the automatic tracking device, and so on. The
total of this required non-speaking power is quite
respectable, and we may say that in very good
players it is probably not less than 45 per cent, of
the total power developed by the bellows. Inas-
much as the pedals work the bellows, it will be seen
that nearly half the physical effort goes into the
non-sounding functions of the player.
This being so, it follows that a certain vacuum
must at all times be maintained, and that therefore
pumping must be governed accordingly. However,
in good players of any make the action in general
is so "tight" and the bellows proportionately so
powerful that it is not necessary to pump steadily.
In fact, if we had to pump steadily all hope of
pedal expression would be gone. Tt is only neces-
sary, on any good player, to pump very gently in
order to operate all the non-speaking pneumatics,
and even when playing no great physical effort is
required to work the pedals for hours, if need be,
provided the dynamic level remains low and there
is no call for many accents or great speed.
But of course there usually is a call for accents
and often for very great speed. But this does not
mean that one must pump at the pedals contin-
uously and as hard as possible. Most novices
make this considerable mistake and only succeed
in tiring themselves out, not to speak of making a
fearful and quite uncalled for noise. Most playing
is too loud always, and most people pump much
too hard.
Pedal technique lies in knowing when to pump
hard and when to relax. The rules in essence are
very simple. If one takes any simple piece written
in simple rhythm he will find that the swing of
it is so plain that he can easily beat time to it with
his foot. Suppose such a person places a roll of
some piece, such as we have described, in a player-
piano and begins to pump. Now, without working
hard, let the music begin to play and then try
to beat time with it by coming down on the pedal
with the right foot hard at each beat. This will
make a marked accent or emphasis on the accented
beats of the melody and will at once display the
secret of pedal technique, though of course crudely
and roughly. The point is just this: that one ped-
als for accent with one foot and with the other
works just enough to keep the "feel" of resistance,
to show that the bellows are delivering power
enough to work the non-speaking pneumatics.
That is the whole art; but simple though it be, it
is susceptible of one knows not how many shades
of delicate and skilled treatment.
General dynamic changes are of course made in
a similar way, although here the alteration in level
is more gradual and the pedal treatment is rather
by gradually working up both pedals than by ac-
centing on one. It must be remembered that both
pedals work bellows which are in communication
with each other. Each can perform the functions
of both, while the non-speaking pneumatics are
all controlled by governors, so that whether the
general level of dynamic effort on the pedals be
high or low, there is no variation in the power
supplied to them, so long as that power does not
sink too low. But to sink too low in this case
would be to sink below the level necessary for
even the softest playing.
Thus it is to be seen that the requirements of
artistic playing include as a foremost element the
attainment of a sound pedal technique. Practice
and the constant attempt to produce the dynamic
and accentual effects known to be wanted will in a
short time give the player-pianist a wonderful con-
trol over all shades of contrast, dynamic level and
accentuation. Pedal technique is the center of
good playcr-pianism.
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