Senza pedale

As Printed on a Score

Printed beneath the piano part (senza pedale, senza Ped.) at the passage to be played without the damper pedal; it lasts until con pedale, Ped. or a pedal-at-discretion marking. It often comes with staccato or secco to stress dryness.

Abbreviations: senza Ped., senza ped.

How Composers Use It

Without the pedal the piano turns dry and transparent: every rest is audible and staccatos snap. Mark it where players would pedal by habit — quick staccato passages, clean counterpoint, imitations of plucked strings, as in Liszt’s Paganini variations. Any note that must sustain then has to be held by the fingers, so check the writing allows it.

Example

Liszt, Grandes études de Paganini, No. 6 (Theme and Variations in A minor), piano, m. 160: “Senza pedale.” at the head of “Var. 9”, beside “staccato (quasi pizzicato)”.

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