The young pianist and the pedals : on training the ear : teaching aspects
Rina Cascione · Musicus · 2011
The correct, and eventually the artistic use of the pedals should not be the privilege of only the select few. With the necessary understanding of how the different pedals work - combined with regular practice and training of the ear - certain skills can be well within the reach of the young pianist, and prove to be a long-term investment. Riefling (1962, 20) says that 'in training the ear, repeated accurate experiments with independent reflection are vital if any artistically satisfying solution is to be found'. In the introduction of the same book he refers to Leonid Kreutzer, who maintains that an interpretation is regarded as successful when 75 % of it is due to the correct use of the right or damper pedal. If the ear of the young learner is well-trained right from the start, the tendency of some examination candidates to test the right or damper pedal while playing a scale on the piano will definitely be eliminated. According to an Italian saying this bad habit is da cancellare della memoria (to be erased from the memory).