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Glite Dictionary
sustaining pedal

sustaining pedal

6.8
A piano pedal that lifts the pads on the strings so notes keep sounding after you release the keys
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : pedal de sostenido
  • By using the sustaining pedal, the pianist was able to let the notes ring out beautifully even after releasing the keys.

Examples

  • To create a rich sound, he pressed down the sustaining pedal while playing the final chords of the piece.

  • If I press the sustaining pedal, then we can keep a whole chord going until I take my foot off the pedal.

  • During the performance, she expertly controlled the sustaining pedal, allowing the melody to flow seamlessly.

Synonyms

loud pedal
vssustaining pedal
  • Specialized
7.1

The pedal on the right of a piano that makes notes keep sounding longer

is the same pedal function but called by a different common name

Surface Forms

sustaining pedal singular
sustaining pedals plural

Morphology

sustain + pedal

The phrase is directly compositional: 'sustain' means to maintain or prolong and 'pedal' is a foot-operated lever, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is the pedal that sustains notes on a piano. This follows a common noun-modifier pattern (pedal that sustains), which is cross-linguistically transparent, making the meaning predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Sustaining pedal is the piano pedal that lifts the little felt 'dampers' from the strings so the notes keep sounding after you release the keys. That's why it is called sustaining — it lets the sound continue or 'sustain' the notes.