damper pedal

American  

noun

Music.

1. a pedal on a piano that when depressed with the foot raises the dampers and permits the strings to vibrate and sustain the tone.

---

Example Sentences

It was as though somebody had stepped on the damper pedal of the world.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2021

The damper pedal will, to be sure, reinforce fortissimo effects, but logically it is only a means of reinforcement and should never be used so that a mere "roar of sound" is produced.

From Music: An Art and a Language by Spalding, Walter Raymond

In many modern editions this depression and release of the damper pedal are more accurately indicated by the sign .

From Music Notation and Terminology by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson

The author deplores the misuse of the damper pedal, which can be made to ruin all the care and effort bestowed on phrasing and tonal effects by the fingers.

From Piano Mastery Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers by Brower, Harriette

The term senza sordini is also occasionally found in old editions, indicating that the damper pedal is to be depressed, while con sordini shows that it is to be released.

From Music Notation and Terminology by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson