I want to show you something. Here's the same Chopin etude I posted last week, but with one key difference - no sustain pedal! I like to practice with no sustain pedal, and here's why... : The sustain pedal is the rightmost pedal on the piano. When you press it, the dampers will not contact the strings, allowing the sounds to sustain indefinitely, until they naturally fade, or you release the pedal and the dampers, well, dampen. : Side note - the sustain pedal is NOT on/off... Try using different levels of pressure with your foot to experiment with different degrees of sustain and resonance. You can even manipulate the decay of the sound by how you "un-press" the pedal! : So back to practice... The sustain pedal can hide mistakes, because it makes everything sound smooth and connected. But really you want to use the pedal to adorn beautiful playing, not to cover choppy playing. Take the pedal away sometime in your practice sessions, and you'll immediately feel the difference. Make the hands-only playing as good as you can, then add some pedal back in. When I do this, I notice a huge difference, and I've used this practice technique often for a very long time! : Tried it? Love it? Hate it? Got other good ideas? I'd love to hear! . . . #chopin #chopinetude #chopinpiano #fredericchopin #fryderykchopin #piano #pianomusic #pianist #classicalmusic #classicalpiano #classicalpianist #pianoplayer #pianistsofinstagram #pianistsofig #pianolove #music #nowplaying #classical #classique #concert #cover #instrumental #musician #musique #pianopractice #pianolovers #pianovideo #pianoclassic #pianosongs #pianoplayers (at Piano Keys) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKD45MhneH/?igshid=1ewtksdd3iwho