Beginner question about pedal timing
Sophia
I didn't notice any pedaling issues but I think you really need to work on really softening that left hand. It's just an accompaniment and it's supposed to be very soft but now it's sort of overwhelming the melody. This is difficult but it's probably the single thing that will have the most impact on the piece.
Also a small nitpick on the final note - it's a typical classical-style resolution so don't accent the last note. Make it slightly softer and connect it legato to the previous note.
Great work so far!
- Edited
Thanks so much everyone!!! Bart, you be as nitpicky as you like - I feel that I have reached a stage where I need to work on musicality more, not just hitting the right notes at the correct time. I agree with everything you said in fact and it gives me something to work on in addition to the things already mentioned before 
WieWaldi Except the part between 1:03 and 1:14. Here in my opinion there was too much of pedaling. You didn't lift it after the RH jumps, no?
Funny you mention that 
In fact, that is the only location in the entire piece where the pedal is used at all... well and the very last note. It's a very simple pedal:
I don't know yet how to film this, but I may be able to adjust the camera to show my feet as well as the hands, maybe turn the phone 90 degrees. When I practice again, I will pay attention if I lift the pedal early enough (not all the way at the end of the bar). Thank you for noticing that even without a video to show my foot
Actually I watched "Let's Play Piano Methods" and he suggested not to pedal at all in this piece and to try to make the jump as legato as possible by reaching across. He probably has a point - it does contrast a little too much with the rest of the piece, I agree with that.
This is fun - I'm really enjoying this learning process 
Sophia I don't know yet how to film this
Borrow smartphone of Simba, Lionel or Sandy? And if they refuse, you can ask your husband. Put both video tracks into DaVinci, and sync via audio-track. Then do picture in picture. I know, it is something new to learn about video filming&editing, but isn't this the Learners Lounge?
WieWaldi isn't this the Learners Lounge?
Yes, but but but... my poor head is getting so full with knowledge that we will have to replace the doors with double doors soon 
I promise I will give it a try soon, but first I want to concentrate on the blues lesson and all the other tips I received about this Alfred piece 
Ok, I don't think this is sufficient right? I mean, it shows the foot, but probably not exactly when it goes up and down. It also has a lot more mistakes, because I was trying to apply Bart's suggestion of left hand softer. Plus all the other stuff you guys suggested But I'm enjoying the process of refining this piece so much! Ooh I really need to get myself a teacher... somehow... someday!
Sophia Still not the best view, some light would help. Needed some time to analyze, when you pedal down and up. But here are my 2 cents:
The first pedal up comes together with G-up of right hand. So the pedal had no effect here.
The second pedal up was a bit later than your G-up of RH up, but still way before C-down. Here the pedal did something, but not enough.
(Horizontal blue lines is about how long you pressed the half-note-duration-G)
Train the reflex to lift the pedal exactly at the same moment when your finger(s) go down. (could be a LH-chord, or in this case a note that needs to be jumped with your hand). (I hope I am not repeating myself here)
Btw: just found the video of @Pallas in this thread. Here you can see clearly when the pedal should be lifted:
Exactly when the hand goes down! (in her case, a new chord)
Am I repeating myself?
And if her left hand does a run, the pedal stays up to avoid clashes.
You can debate about when to pedal down, and there is a lot of possibilities, but the nr.1 rule (hand down = pedal up) stays put.
- Edited
WieWaldi But here are my 2 cents:
Thank you so much! 
I still need to practice this particular passage a lot more (obviously) and now I can incorporate proper pedaling with it
It's becoming a juggling act... applying all the advice from everybody in this thread. I'm grateful to you all... the piece is already transforming from blah! 
to mwah 
and hopefully someday the version it deserves: ahh! 
- Edited
Sophia
This is much better. I would continue trying to play the left hand as soft as possible. Really exaggerate so it's barely audible. Maybe even just ghost the left hand (fake play without depressing the keys).
Now, the best way to reduce the clunkiness is to think of whole phrases instead of single notes and keep your mind ahead of where you're playing at the moment. I know this is hard but I think it's essential for developing your musicality.
- Edited
Fantastic stuff, thank you 
Yes. it's time to start thinking about musicality now. Up to now it was hard enough just to get the dexterity so my fingers would obey... there wasn't much room for anything else. Much like you can't have a toddler solve a 5000 piece puzzle. It's not that I didn't want to, there just wasn't any room in my head for more than just playing the notes ^_^
But now that my fingers are getting a little more used to touching the keys, I think it's time to start working on the rest too. I learned a LOT in this thread alone, and it will definitely give me some pointers going forward with new pieces too. Thank you everybody
Edit: I just noticed that toddler isn't playing fair! It has one extra finger!!!
- Edited
Good question! I am curious too. Gale seems to think we should, but I don't leave it there personally. Willing to change my mind on that for sure 
Edit some hours later: I sort of see it like the clutch in a stick shift car. I don't keep my foot on that either unless and until it's needed...
iternabe Should one leave the right foot always hovering or resting on the sustain pedal, even when they aren't using the pedal?
I would say mostly yes, unless you want to take a break to rest your foot, or if there is an entire section (say more than 5-10 seconds) which doesn't use the pedal.
An interesting exercise (which I've done and still do) is to become a foot watcher of good pianists when they play. It's like the feet have a brain just like a pianist's hands seem to have a brain. That may be a good way to answer this question.
keystring An interesting exercise (which I've done and still do) is to become a foot watcher of good pianists when they play. It's like the feet have a brain just like a pianist's hands seem to have a brain. That may be a good way to answer this question.
I have to respectfully disagree with this. Every good pianist will tell you to pedal with your ears not your feet.
At the beginning you should learn the basic pedal technique like WieWaldi describes above but for more advanced usages you just have to experiment and find what sounds good. I do a lot of different things with the pedals - partial pedal to various degrees, partial release, flutter pedal, sometimes engaging una corda to various degrees - but if you asked me exactly when I do it I'd have no clue. It depends on how much resonance has built up from what I play before, the tempo, the mood I'm trying to bring out, etc. Even the accoustics of the room make a difference and I would pedal something slightly differently in my teacher's studio.
So, IMO watching someone else's feet is not a good idea and you will not be able to replicate what they are doing from their feet alone.
- Edited
Here's what I found to be a convenient way of obtaining the sound that I want by using the pedal: think of pressing on the pedal as a very quick up/down motion on the beat itself. Generally speaking, the amount of downward motion (travel) on the pedal should be the minimum required to obtain the effect you want.
