Piano pedal retakes

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benwiggy
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Joined: 11 Apr 2016, 19:42

Piano pedal retakes

Post by benwiggy »

Out of my depth somewhat with mid-20th century English song. Is there an essential difference between representing Pedal marks in these two ways?

The ms has Ped__________| for every bar.

Using retakes is tidier.
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Anders Hedelin
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Re: Piano pedal retakes

Post by Anders Hedelin »

I don't think there is any essential difference in the meaning of the two notations you show. The first one is of course more exact than the traditional :ped and asterisk, and the second one even more so, and, as you say, tidier and less cluttering.

Combining the old and Baroque-looking :ped and the more technical and modern retake lines can create something of a stylistic clash however, which may be the reason why most contemporary composers today use a more neutral font for the Ped., like this:
Ped.PNG
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For mid-twentieth-century music I think the two options :ped and asterisk, and your second example - or mine - would be possible. (Bartók fx used both traditional pedal marks and modern pedal lines - then without the word Ped.)
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John Ruggero
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Re: Piano pedal retakes

Post by John Ruggero »

A simpler and to me better way to show overlapping pedal with Ped. indications is to leave out the brackets completely and place a Ped. where you want each quick change (without using an asterisk or anything else to show a release). Every pianist will know what this means.

Anders and I agree about the stylistic clash, but come to different conclusions. I prefer the all-bracket system where the intricacy of the pedaling makes it preferable to the Ped. * system. On the face of it, this example isn't such a case.
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