What are the pedals for?
The sustain pedal
On virtually all pianos, the right pedal pushes the dampers away from the strings. This allows a note to sustain its tone even if the key is released. Its use adds a particular form of expression and sympathetic resonance to color the music.
The soft pedal
The left pedal, on most all pianos is used to soften the tone and volume of the music. In the upright piano (and a few grands) this is achieved by shortening the blow distance of the hammer; its "at rest" position is moved closer to the strings. In the grand piano the softer affect is the result of shifting the whole piano action laterally just enough so that each hammer strikes only two of its three strings. (One of two in the bass section.) In grand pianos we call this the "shift" or "una corda" pedal
ah...the middle pedal
This is the weird one. Traditionally in grand pianos (as well as some of the best uprights) this is the sostenuto pedal. It allows for selective sustain. If you depress a key, and step on this pedal, that key alone will sustain while the other notes played are stopped by the damper action.
On many pianos the middle pedal activates a bass only sustain, allowing notes to ring long in the lower register, even as the higher notes are damped. Sometimes refered to as the "poor man's sostenuto".
In some upright pianos the middle pedal controls a muting strip of felt that, when engaged, substantially reduces the music volume by dropping into place between the hammers and strings. Or, in place of the felt strip a series of metal tabs drop down to create a "honky tonk" affect. In others, this pedal is completely redundant, and is connected to the same linkage as the soft pedal. In some pianos this middle pedal is entirely for show and only connects to a spring designed to make it look useful! For the average amateur player, a two pedal piano is fine.
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