Pedalling in acoustic piano is an art and science that has been discussed and debated over a long time by amateurs and professions. This is not going to be a guide on how to pedal, but how to decide for yourself as a performer, which style of pedalling works the best for you.
We will first recall the basic types of pedalling.
1. Pedal is always in full. Either fully depressed or fully lifted. No ambiguity.
2. Fractional pedalling, ie, 1/4, 1/2 pedal, 3/4 pedal, full pedal ( possible, but seldom )
3. flutter pedalling, whereby pedal is quickly depressed and lifted, at the pianist's discretion by ear.
Now, at a glance, most people would think that type 1 is the easier, type 3 is the hardest. However, in reality, amateurs tend to do no. 3 alot, and find it very hard to do no.1, while the professions aim to do no. 3 for tonal effects, but their attempts are not always successful. Here's why.
No. 3 is easier to execute kinestatically, but musically more challenging, as fluttering is used to "clear" layers of unwanted tone selectively. No. 1 requires less ear training to discern when to execute pedalling, because there are always rules that one can go by. for eg. by harmony of left hand chords, by presence of long notes in the bass, by syncopated rhythmn, by phrases and slurs, by dynamics, and sometimes by bar lines even. no. 2 is a mixture of both. The rules of when to press pedal for no. 1 applies to no. 2 as well, but you need the musicality required in no. 3 to discern how much pedal to depress. ie. you need to decide when to clear 1/2, 1/4 or 3/4 by listening to the tones and by the texture of the chords. But still, it's easier than flutter pedalling because slight misjudgements in the "amount" is not fatal.
For flutter pedalling, carelessness in the "amount" and location in pedalling produces murky and unartistic performance. For amatuers, the murkiness might not be apparent and hence it goes unnoticed.
Guide to Passing the ATCL Piano Recital Diploma Exams!
What is ATCL Piano Recital Diploma Exam all about????
This is a guide with resources and pointers to prepare for the most basic ATCL piano Recital Diploma. Most of us, after passing ABRSM Grade 8, will be considering the Diploma Syllabus in our next phase of pianistic achievements. Here, I recommend ATCL(Recital) as the window and the stepping stone to other more sophisticated qualifications. ATCL is the first level diploma offered by the Trinity College Examinations Board.
Here is a copy of the latest exam syllabus
Pls read through it carefully. I will summarise the important feature of the exam:
1. Recital Exams only requires performance of a set of pieces, no scales, no sight reading, no aural tests, no verbal QnA
2. There is a long list ( check the syllabus ) of pieces to assimilate your program from. You can choose to play anything from the list as long as you can make the entire duration last somewhere 32-38 minutes. Timing is important!
3. Sensible choice of pieces is half of the battle. I will explain this further.
4. Candidates are to treat the exam like a professional Recital performance. (ie. Mini-concert) So, just imagine all the features you observe when you attend other pianists' recital concerts. You need to prepare a set of program notes, dressed in professional attire, carry yourself with a professional aura. To be perfectly professional, most pianists play from memory. But, you don't get penalized for playing with scores either. It is the overall impression you portray that matters.
This is an expensive exam to take. Do be fluent in your playing first before you register for the exams. This is different from the lower graded exams where you can register first to “push” yourself to practise harder. But still, it is one of the most fulfilling and the most forgiving diploma exam! It is stated that the expected level of playing is at first year of undergraduate studies in degree course. You are expected to be advanced and reasonably technically fluent player, but not virtuoso.
This is a guide with resources and pointers to prepare for the most basic ATCL piano Recital Diploma. Most of us, after passing ABRSM Grade 8, will be considering the Diploma Syllabus in our next phase of pianistic achievements. Here, I recommend ATCL(Recital) as the window and the stepping stone to other more sophisticated qualifications. ATCL is the first level diploma offered by the Trinity College Examinations Board.
Here is a copy of the latest exam syllabus
Pls read through it carefully. I will summarise the important feature of the exam:
1. Recital Exams only requires performance of a set of pieces, no scales, no sight reading, no aural tests, no verbal QnA
2. There is a long list ( check the syllabus ) of pieces to assimilate your program from. You can choose to play anything from the list as long as you can make the entire duration last somewhere 32-38 minutes. Timing is important!
3. Sensible choice of pieces is half of the battle. I will explain this further.
4. Candidates are to treat the exam like a professional Recital performance. (ie. Mini-concert) So, just imagine all the features you observe when you attend other pianists' recital concerts. You need to prepare a set of program notes, dressed in professional attire, carry yourself with a professional aura. To be perfectly professional, most pianists play from memory. But, you don't get penalized for playing with scores either. It is the overall impression you portray that matters.
This is an expensive exam to take. Do be fluent in your playing first before you register for the exams. This is different from the lower graded exams where you can register first to “push” yourself to practise harder. But still, it is one of the most fulfilling and the most forgiving diploma exam! It is stated that the expected level of playing is at first year of undergraduate studies in degree course. You are expected to be advanced and reasonably technically fluent player, but not virtuoso.
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