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Know-how
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Many musicians master their instrument with both hands and feet. To make that triad sound perfect, pedals and switches for keyboard instruments are especially important. High-quality units from Yamaha or Hammond not only make the musician's life easier, they also improve the sound quality. In the session online shop you'll find a wide range of high-quality pedals, switches and controllers.
The different keyboard pedals
Just like the classical piano or grand, electric pianos and keyboards are also equipped with pedals. These are roughly divided into three different categories. These are:
The sustain or damper pedal
The sustain pedal, such as the Roland DP-10 Sustain Pedal, is standard equipment on conventional acoustic pianos. It causes notes to be held for a longer time when depressed. On electric pianos this sustain effect is simulated: the notes are held longer and gradually lose volume. The authenticity of this sound depends heavily on the quality of the pedal. Particularly high-quality is, for example, the Korg DS-1 H Sustain Pedal. It enables a very realistic piano feel with outstanding quality.
The sostenuto pedal
The name of the sostenuto pedal is derived from a musical performance instruction, "sostenuto", an Italian term meaning "sustained". The sostenuto is therefore also a sustaining pedal, but unlike the sustain pedal it does not let all notes continue to sound — only those notes that are being held at the moment the pedal is pressed. Sostenuto pedals are often found as so-called triple pedals, such as the Clavia Nord Triple Pedal.
Soft pedal
Soft pedals, also called una corda pedals, are intended to reduce the volume on a classical grand piano. On the grand the hammers are shifted slightly to the right so they hit only one string, which can change the instrument's tone quite significantly. On an electric piano this sound is simulated by the soft pedal and thus produces various tone modulations, such as tremolo, vibrato or distortion. In many cases the soft pedal is therefore now also called a modulation pedal.
Programmable MIDI foot controllers
A creation from the world of electronic music are MIDI foot controllers, such as the Nektar Pacer. The pedal consists of programmable foot switches that can trigger entire musical sequences. The Nektar Pacer, for example, has ten programmable footswitches, two programmable expression pedals and a number of relays and encoders. Further controllers are available from Boss and other manufacturers.