opposite direction of pedal action from pitch change

[barbara-kraichy–2]

Some of my students are confused about moving the pedal the opposite direction from the change of pitch. When they want to flat the string, they think the pedal should also go down. Is this a space perception problem? Is it common? Any suggestions about how to help the problem?

[sherry-lenox]

I’m an aged beginner and I do it sometimes, but not because I associate the physical motion with the sound, and I truly don’t think that’s why anyone does this.

To me it’s just the need to familiarize the action of the pedal with the symbol in the music. I’ve been working on the Bochsa etudes in the second book of the 50 easy etudes, and there’s one pedal change in #47 that I typically play as a sharp instead of a flat, but I’m playing the others in the piece correctly.

Overall, that particular etude is a real bear, and I think if I were confusing the pitch with the mechanical action I’d be making more mistakes than I am.

That particular volume of Bochsa is really good for a slow, moderately painful introduction to pedal work, so if your students can tolerate it, it might be worth a try.

[Jessica A]

Do the students understand the anatomy of the harp?

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Perhaps you can help them relate it to the tension of the string: pushing down makes more tension and requires more effort, letting the pedal up releases tension and opens the string.

[Author]

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