Please help?

[nherizu]

Hi, I'm a newbie with piano and currently self-practicing this piece (click to enlarge):

Comments

[labradors]

I would try pressing it at the beginning of each slur (group of notes with a curved line over it) or through each measure if that is too often.

[nherizu]

Thank you so much, that really helps :D

[aypianoman]

I agree and if I were to use pedal, it would be at each slur, but I would actually do my best to not use the pedal at all and phrase my slurs legato without it and more detached where there is no slur. Of course, pedal could work fine in the measures where one hand is playing a whole note, or it could work in the first two measures after the double bar on the second page, but looking at this piece having never heard it, I imagine that pedal could get very sloppy very quickly, and I'd rather hear it without it.

(Also, the legato of one hand against the detached phrasing of the other would be quite beautiful and completely lost when pedaled.)

[nherizu]

Thank you for your input. I will try to play it both with and without pedal :D

[calmlyrestless]

I AM ABOUT TO TELL YOU ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PEDALLING.

1. Use your ears.
2. Pedal change (as in, release pedal and pedal again) when the harmony changes (when the chord changes). If the harmony doesn't change, you might not need to release the pedal.
3. Use your ears.
4. Did I mention to use your ears?

To learn about harmony, you can pick up any music theory textbook and learn about triads, etc. But until then here's a simple tip:

Look at the left hand pattern. If the notes in the pattern remain the same, keep the pedal down. If it changes, do a pedal change.

Hope this helps. :)

[calmlyrestless]

Just thought I'd clarify about the left hand "pattern". See measure 3's left hand pattern? The pattern is actually a C major triad (C,E and G). You can keep the pedal down as long as it stays in C major. Measure 4's pattern is a D minor (D,F,A), so you need to do a pedal change (so that the D minor chord doesn't clash with C major). That's the idea.

To know this information, you need to learn more about chords!

[nherizu]

Thank you so much. I know about chords :D
This really helps, thank you! :D

[clairdethief]

[teosoleil]

Think of the pedal as a tool to blend and legato in harmonies. You need to use it, usually, with the same notes in the same chord in order to blend it all together. Blending the wrong notes will create dissonance and a somewhat "weird" melody (though that can be used on purpose for other music). See, the pedal is almost the same as using a white colored pencil to blend in colors with a colored pencil drawing. Chopin himself said that the use of the pedal is a "lifetime study". It will seem difficult at first, but with more practice, it will come naturally. As labradors said, I would pedal at the begnining of each slur and see how it sounds. If it's too blurry then there's too much pedaling, if it's too not smooth-sounding, you need to hold your pedal and notes longer.

Also note that I consider pedaling like "crutches" for smooth playing. If there's a slur make sure you hold and smooth with your FINGERS, not just the pedal as well.