acoustc piano question???

[ampd]

Probably not the right bb for this, but I`m sure 1 of you guys knows the answer to my dumb question. Recently, I bought a `59 Baldwin Acrosonic from an estate sale (ex condition!! still has owners manual!) This is my first real piano but what does the first floor pedal(on the left) do?? I know what the second and third does but it seems no different if you press the first one.

 

[nicolaad30]

One is for sustain or kinda reverb, the othe ones it kinda mutes the notes, and the other one is useless...

 

[Sklathill]

Left is the "soft" pedal...well, on grands, it works by shifting the hammers so they hit only 1 string rather than 2 or three. On uprights, it typically shifts the hammers slightly closer to the string so that there's less acceleration room. There are other ways of doing it, such as changing the angle of the hammers. The difference on an upright is often less substantial than the difference on a grand...

The right pedal is the damper pedal...holds all the felt off the strings so that the strings continue to sound after the key is released.

The middle pedal or sostenuto pedal is like the damper, but it only works on the key that are held while the pedal is depressed. It rarely is functional on uprights, and some pianos (even grands, some baby Yamahas come to mind) are not sold with them...

 

[Jsar78]

Ahh, the acoustic piano... I learned on a 6' Yamaha Grand. How's the sound on that one? Baldwin makes a great Piano!

The right pedal is your "sustain" pedal - pretty obvious right.

The left is your "soft" or "damp" (realy nice with Beethoven's pathetique 2nd movement)

The center pedal is the "sostenuto" pedal - this will let you "sustain" individual notes (excellent with moonlight sonata) Not that easy to use but used right can really add accent to a melody.

- jsar