Hi, I’m Jack great to see you again reading my articles that got amazing feedback so far, and I thank you all for this.
Now, lets talk about sustain pedals, why they are important for you, and how you can survive without it.
I will also go over a list of 15 great sustain pedals that I recommend you taking a look into.
What a sustain pedal does
A sustain pedal or sustaining pedal (also called damper pedal, loud pedal, or open pedal) is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. It is typically the rightmost of two or three pedals under the grand.
When pressed, the sustain pedal “sustains” all the damped strings on the piano by moving all the dampers away from the strings and allowing them to vibrate freely. All notes played will continue to sound until the vibration naturally ceases, or until the pedal is released.
This lets the pianist sustain notes which would otherwise be out of reach, for instance in accompanying chords, and accomplish legato passages (smoothly connected notes) which would have no possible fingering otherwise.
Depressing the sustain pedal also causes all the strings to vibrate sympathetically with whichever notes are being played, which greatly enriches the piano’s tone.
So, If you are pianist, I really don’t have to tell you the importance of having a sustain pedal… I mean , You can’t be a pianist without it.
But, if you are a keyboardist you might not be aware that electronic keyboards often include a sustain pedal, a simple foot-operated switch which controls the electronic or digital synthesis so as to produce a sustain effect,
Pointing to the group of keyboardists who doesn’t have it yet, it’s highly recommended you should get one.
Electronic-Keyboard-Sustain-Pedal | Find Yours Today
Notice that sustain pedals are usually cheap but can also be expensive, either because it is a good looking design or because it is a good quality piece (don’t worry you can find both pros in one too),
- Now, if you are a live performer playing piano on stage you will probably want to give your audience a more professional look performing with nice equipment that includes a cool designed sustain pedal which will impress them.
- But, if you need a sustain pedal for home use only then you can decide on any good sustain pedal from the list below that will also do a great job as well, sustaining the sounds on your keyboard.
1
Yamaha FC4A Assignable Piano Sustain Foot Pedal
This one is High Quality, great performance. It feels more like the conventional pedals that a Acoustic Piano has. The spring offers enough resistance to give close to real feel.
2
Korg DS1H
This pedal has a great weight and doesn’t slide around much at all. You do need to have a careful touch otherwise the dampening will seem to cut on and off rather than ease on and off like on a real piano.
3
HQRP Sustain Pedal
4
Nektar NP-2 Universal Sustain Pedal
This pedal is very well built and serves its function perfectly. It feels very authentic. It features a switch on the bottom to change between normally open and normally closed, so it should work with any midi device that supports a pedal!
5
M-Audio SP-2 | Universal Sustain Pedal
Great sustain pedal- almost feels like a piano. Much better than the simple sustain pedal that comes with some keyboards these days.
6
Yamaha FC5 Compact Sustain Pedal for Portable Keyboards
Solidly built, exactly what you would expect. The step response is reliable, and appropriately pressure.
7
On Stage KSP100 Universal Sustain Pedal
8
Quik Lok PS-25 Sustain Pedals
Simple and durable.
9
Xvive Sustain Pedal
This pedal works great! It doesn’t move all over the floor like so many others. Works on all key boards with it’s reversible switch.
10
Casio SP20 Piano Style Sustain Pedal
A great pedal for your digital keyboard.
11
Cherub WTB-005 Digital Piano and Keyboard Sustain Pedal
This sustain pedal is very affordable, and it’s great quality for the price! It works as it should, and the pedal itself is very responsive.
12
Casio SP-3 Sustain Pedal
Awesome. Does the job quite well.
13
Roland DP-10 Real-Feel Pedal
Decent action sustain pedal and built to last for long term use.
14
M-Audio SP-1 | Sustain Foot Pedal
This one is reliable rock solid, and easy to press and undress.
I have never seen such a thourough research of sustain pedals! Congratulations!!
I’ve sent the article to my pianist as I’m a flutist.
I think you did a great job on comparing those pedals one by one, adding pictures and what you like about them. Maybe you could go in more detail as to which one you prefer in which situation? But probably a pianist would know.
Thank you for the great article and we will be following you for more insight!
Cheers,
Jana
Thanks Jana, I am working on getting into more details. should be released soon.