Piano pedals

[sullen warren]

hey, just a quick question, is it ok to use middle pedal almost 80% of the time I play piano? I am just worried if something could happen to the piano if I do this. Thanks <@&796420348849160224>

[steady swift]

oooh fun

You should pedal with some intention

Such as only changing pedal on melody notes.

[steady swift]

You will not break the piano by pedalling incorrectly, if this happens then the piano was already broken before you played it

Remember to keep the heel of your foot on the floor for stability

It's not about percentages... just think carefully about parts of the phrase and harmony that need pedalling

Trying to avoid clashing harmonies

[sullen warren]

I think you understood that I mean sustain pedal, I mean the middle pedal, which allows you to in some way low the volume

[tawny pollen]

The middle pedal is different on nearly every piano. What you're referring to is the practice pedal, which is a specific kind of middle pedal, which has two main methods of operating (which is which depends on your exact piano):

1. A piece of felt is placed between the hammers and strings, dampening the impact. There is absolutely no risk in having this permanently enabled.

2. The keybed shifts over, such that some strings are hit and not others. If permanently enabled, this kind of pedal will result in strings becoming out of tune with each other faster than usual, meaning more frequent tunings. Piano strings in general are pretty hardy, so even if this will affect the longevity of your instrument there won't be a massive impact on your piano's performance. You should still be fine, but be aware this is technically worse for the instrument than normal play.