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The question as to when a young pianist should be introduced to the sustaining pedal is a contentious one. Many teachers hold that a strong finger technique must first be well established, others encourage the use of the pedal much earlier, arguing that if taught correctly and used judiciously, it is of benefit to a child's musical development and their enjoyment of the instrument is greatly enhanced. But for the most part these arguments are largely academic, as readiness is more often than not determined by the size at which a seated child can comfortably reach the pedal, keep their heel on the floor and maintain a correct hand and arm position.This is often not until the age of ten or eleven.
In spite of this, many piano methods written specifically for young children do introduce the pedal at a very early stage. These pages either have to be skipped, or the opportunity taken to explain to the child about the use of the pedal, resulting, In response to their entreaties to 'have a go' in the agony of watching them perch on the edge of the stool, stabbing at the pedal with their toe.
The development of the A-Leg-Gro Pedal Extension Device which enables children to pedal correctly by supporting their feet, eliminates the size factor and means that teachers can now introduce pedalling at whatever stage they wish. This is an important advance in the education of young pianists, and one which has been greeted with much enthusiasm. Yet I suspect that there will be a certain amount of scepticism on the part of some teachers who will fear that its se will lead to excessive and indiscriminate use of the pedal: if well taught, I feel that the exact opposite will be the case.
But pedalling must be taught and should not simply be tagged on when the exigencies of a Grade 3 exam piece demand it. How often in the exam room does a child ask the examiner 'which pedal do I use?' Then there is the candidate who has forgotten that the pedal is required at all until the relevant bar arrives and there is the inevitable moment of panic, untangling of feet (and occasional disaster when the wrong pedal is depressed). At higher grades, there are the performances of Scarlatti which are swathed in pedal and of Chopin where the foot is put down at the beginning and only lifted, reluctantly at the end. Pedalling must be afforded a high priority, and if it is accorded this and taught well, it will be used both discreetly and instinctively.
The introduction of this vitally important aspect of piano playing is an exciting moment for the young pianist. But there are several elements in its teaching which must be addressed. Firstly, the mechanics. Which pedal is which? Two pedals or three? Children love learning about this and enjoy peering inside the piano, plucking the strings and making spooky noises by shouting inside the instrument while the pedal is depressed. Then there is the tricky problem of co-ordinating hands and foot (easiest mastered when young). There are several fun exercises to help with this, several of which can be practised away from the piano and these are included in my book.
However, the biggest secret to successful pedalling is a well trained ear. Wind and string players are encouraged to listen carefully to the sound they are making in the interest of intonation and tone quality, while pianists are too often guilty of not listening acutely enough. When using the pedal, the pianist, no matter how young and inexperienced, must listen critically if clarity is not to suffer. Particular attention has to be paid to finger legato and therefore fingering; harmonic changes must be clean and, most of all, decisions have to made as to when it is appropriate to use it, and, more importantly, when it is not. All these elements, even at the most basic level, are the foundation stones of not only the accomplished pianist, but of a musician with a strongly developed musical acuity.
Chopin maintained that the pedal was a life-time's study. This is surely truer today than ever, bearing in mind the modern piano and the sophisticated pedalling demands of much 20th century music. But whether one's instinctive reaction to the possibility of young children using the pedal is positive or negative, it cannot be denied that children are entranced by the increased resonance it adds to the tone. With this enthusiasm and impatience on the part of the child, and given the importance of the role of the pedal in piano playing should this study not be started as early as possible?
© 1999 Suzanne C Pillinger
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