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.

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Example Sentences

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

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2021

The pedal employed by the right foot, properly called the "damper pedal," is so named because, by its action, all the dampers of the key-board may be raised simultaneously.

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

They seem to know only one way to use the damper pedal, and that is to come down hard on it, perhaps giving it a thump at the same time.

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

There was, I admit, great clearness—a clearness that became a smudge when you used the damper pedal.

From Old Fogy His Musical Opinions and Grotesques by Huneker, James

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