Sans pédale

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or between the piano staves at the start of the passage to be played dry; it lasts until the pedal is reintroduced by avec pédale or a Péd. mark.

Also spelled: sans pedale

How Composers Use It

Sans pédale asks for a dry, unblurred sound, every note’s length controlled by the fingers alone. It matters most where a pianist would pedal by instinct — slow chords, wide-spaced accompaniments — and it makes rests and short notes audible. Check that the writing can be played connected without pedal if you also ask for lié.

Example

Satie, Socrate, “Bords de l’Ilissus”, piano, m. 122: “sans pédale” at pp; the instruction is printed again eight bars later.

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