Taught by renowned instructor
Jerome Lowenthal
Join esteemed Juilliard professor Jerome Lowenthal for a deep dive into the art of pedaling. His vast experience and immersion in the 20th-century Golden Age of piano playing are on full display: this lesson is full of vibrant, nuanced ideas that give you the keys to expressive pedaling. Witty anecdotes abound: Lowenthal’s profound understanding of culture – music, French poetry, history, and more besides – gives this lesson a charming, convivial atmosphere, as if you were invited to an evening of conversation with a master.<br><br>The lesson starts with the basics: what part of your foot do you pedal with? where should you keep your left foot? how can you pedal with subtle control rather than stomping? Lowenthal’s demonstrations reveal that using the pedal is as essential and natural as breathing.<br><br>The bulk of the lesson is devoted to musical examples representing a wide range of composers –– ranging from Bach, Haydn, and Liszt to 20th-century masters like Bártok, Prokofiev, Ravel, and Debussy, as well as a particular emphasis on Beethoven and Chopin. Each example reveals the expressive possibilities of nuanced pedaling: long pedals to sustain bass notes without muddling the rest of the texture, slow releases and half-pedaling for softening the piano’s percussive edge, and Chopin’s "breathing pedal" –– all of which play a part in crafting idiomatic and beautiful phrases.<br><br>Lowenthal closes the lesson with remarks on how best to use the left and middle pedals –– the una corda and sostenuto, respectively. With his insights, you’ll find that the soles of your feet will help you play with soul!
The Art of Pedaling
Join esteemed Juilliard professor Jerome Lowenthal for a deep dive into the art of pedaling. His vast experience and immersion in the 20th-century Golden Age of piano playing are on full display: this lesson is full of vibrant, nuanced ideas that give you the keys to expressive pedaling. Witty anecdotes abound: Lowenthal’s profound understanding of culture – music, French poetry, history, and more besides – gives this lesson a charming, convivial atmosphere, as if you were invited to an evening of conversation with a master.
The lesson starts with the basics: what part of your foot do you pedal with? where should you keep your left foot? how can you pedal with subtle control rather than stomping? Lowenthal’s demonstrations reveal that using the pedal is as essential and natural as breathing.
The bulk of the lesson is devoted to musical examples representing a wide range of composers –– ranging from Bach, Haydn, and Liszt to 20th-century masters like Bártok, Prokofiev, Ravel, and Debussy, as well as a particular emphasis on Beethoven and Chopin. Each example reveals the expressive possibilities of nuanced pedaling: long pedals to sustain bass notes without muddling the rest of the texture, slow releases and half-pedaling for softening the piano’s percussive edge, and Chopin’s "breathing pedal" –– all of which play a part in crafting idiomatic and beautiful phrases.
Lowenthal closes the lesson with remarks on how best to use the left and middle pedals –– the una corda and sostenuto, respectively. With his insights, you’ll find that the soles of your feet will help you play with soul!
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