Mit Verschiebung

As Printed on a Score

Printed below the piano staves where the soft (una corda) pedal goes down, sometimes as Verschiebung alone; it lasts until ohne Verschiebung (or an all-strings direction) cancels it.

How Composers Use It

Verschiebung — the shift — names what the grand piano’s action does: it moves sideways so the hammers strike fewer strings, giving a softer, veiled tone. It is the German una corda. Use it for colour rather than volume, since a pianist can play softly without it. Mark both the start and the release; on upright pianos the soft pedal works differently and the effect is weaker.

Related Terms