User manual

Pedal lines
Pedal lines indicate to performers which piano pedals to use, and can also give performance
instructions, such as how far down to depress the pedals and when to lift the pedal to clear the
resonance.
Most pianos have either two or three pedals. These pedals are:
Sustain pedal
The sustain pedal controls the dampers on the piano strings, which is why it is also
known as the
“damper pedal”. It is also the most commonly used pedal. Depressing the
sustain pedal removes the dampers, allowing the strings to resonate longer. Sustain
pedals are usually on the right.
An example sustain pedal line
Sostenuto pedal
The sostenuto pedal only allows the strings of the notes currently depressed on the
keyboard to resonate. It is also known as the
“middle pedal” as it is usually in the
middle of the other pedals.
An example sostenuto pedal line
Una corda pedal
The una corda pedal shifts the action inside the piano so that the hammers hit fewer
strings than normal. Historically, this caused hammers only to hit one string, not the
usual three, which is where the name comes from. Because this reduces the volume
and impact of the sound, it is also known as the “soft pedal”.
An example una corda pedal line
Dorico SE offers comprehensive notational and playback support for piano pedal lines. You can
create pedaling for the sustain, sostenuto, and una corda pedals, with support for modern sustain
pedaling techniques, including changing the pedal level over the course of a single pedal
instruction.
In Dorico SE, pedal lines are considered playing techniques because they alter the sound
produced by the instrument. Therefore, pedal lines are included in the Playing Techniques panel
in Write mode and you can input them using the playing techniques popover. However, pedal
lines have additional, unique requirements that do not apply to other playing techniques, such as
retakes, pedal level changes, start signs, end signs, and continuation lines.
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Dorico SE 3.1.10