1. Connect the change, then clear the old sound
Purpose: connect harmonies without leaving a gap or carrying the old chord too far into the new one. Legato pedaling is often called syncopated or overlapping pedaling: the foot changes just after the new notes sound.
The essential sequence is play the new notes, lift the old pedal, then depress again while the new notes remain held. The fingers preserve the new sound during the brief clearing. Starting the lift too early can leave a gap; lifting too late can smear the harmonies.
- Learn the chords without pedal and hold each for its full half-note duration.
- Play the first chord, then depress the pedal on the following eighth-note subdivision.
- At the next chord, retain the old pedal for that same subdivision, then lift and depress while holding the new keys.
- Continue through the four harmonies. Release keys and pedal together at the start of the final silent bar.
Shorten the demonstration delay
The marked eighth-note delay is deliberately generous for slow coordination practice. In a musical phrase, the clearing is usually much closer to the new attack. Listen while reducing the delay; the right amount is determined by the sound, not a fixed fraction of a beat.
Checkpoint: hear a connected arrival followed immediately by a clean new harmony. Do not confuse connection with the continued presence of the old bass.
2. Keep fingers and foot responsible for different things
A pedal change can silence a note whose key has already been released. If a melodic note must continue through the change, hold it with a finger when possible. Conversely, holding an unwanted note with a finger prevents the pedal from clearing it.
Compare three versions of the chord study
Lift before the new chord: exaggerate a small gap once so you can identify it. Lift well after the new chord: hear the mixed harmony. Change just after the attack: aim for connection and prompt clearing. The first two versions are diagnostic comparisons, not habits to repeat at speed.
Then practice at p and mf. A louder attack produces more resonance and may expose a change that seemed clean at a softer dynamic. Do not learn the foot movement at one sound level and assume it will work unchanged at every other level.
Keep the release intentional
At the end of the phrase, decide whether the music asks for a clear stop or a resonant decay. In this exercise, clear at the start of the silent reset bar. In repertoire, a rest may belong to one voice while another continues, so read the complete texture before lifting every held sound.
If coordination breaks down, reduce the task to two chords. Hold the second chord while slowly rehearsing the foot’s clearing motion, then bring the action closer to its attack. Add the melody only after the harmonic change is dependable.
Transfer: mark actual harmonic changes in a short piece, rather than adding one pedal change automatically at every barline. Chapter 52 extends this same overlapping technique to a moving melody and more selective releases.