Forum: music.stackexchange.com
Tags: <piano>
Title: How to use Piano pedals without using the foot?
Question: I have a piano, I am disabled, wheelchair kinda disabled, I can move my feet but not use the pedals, that task is kinda complicated.   Considered buying some kind of a car hand control, like  this , not sure if it works, and besides say I want to use the first pedal, to hold notes, means i have to keep holding it, and only 1 hand to play music.  Is there tools or ways to solve that problem?

Answers:
sents: text: Can't use feet well, but if you could move a knee to one side, it would be a simple lever attachment to the pedal, maybe from your wheelchair.
text: Look at knee levers that pedal steel players use.
text: You only really need the damper pedal -
text: the 'soft' pedal could be added later, but it's not as vital as the sustain.
answer_details: author: music.stackexchange.com/users/2808/Tim
score: 12
sents: text: This may not be as "simple" as it first appears, because (apart from the most basic playing technique) the piano pedal action is not just an "on-off switch".
text: You need to control the speed of movement, and not necessarily depress the pedal fully.
text: Also the pedals need quite a lot of force to operate them, which is no problem for normal human feet, but would require some "serious engineering" to do accurately (and safely, reliably, and silently) with an electric motor Unless you really can't bear to part with the actual gifted piano, you might consider a Yamaha Disklavier, which is a conventional piano plus the mechanics for full MIDI control (of everything, not just the pedals).
text: They aren't cheap, but presumably your existing piano would offset some of the cost.
text: You could then use almost any sort of MIDI controller to operate the pedals - possibly even a set of "digital piano pedals", perhaps mechanically modified to work with the foot movement that you have.
text: There are plenty of companies who sell kits for the opposite purpose - i.e. to convert an acoustic piano into a source of MIDI data, to record a live performance - but that is not what you want.
text: I don't know of anybody (apart from the Disklavier) selling something that would convert an acoustic piano to be played by MIDI.
text: Incidentally, even the Disklavier mechanism is quite "wimpy" compared with the old-style pneumatically operated "player pianos" controlled by piano rolls.
text: This http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug00/articles/ballet.htm is the saga of some of the problems recreating an avant-garde piece written for 16 synchronized player pianos (!!!)
text: using a stage full of Disklaviers.
answer_details: author: music.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 6
sents: text: I'm not sure if this is any help, but I would probably approach the problem first by suggesting you swap out an acoustic piano for an electronic keyboard.
text: This allows for other controllers to be used in non-standard ways (usually using the MIDI control standard).
text: You might find that this is quite technical to start on, I'm not sure where you stand with music technology.
text: You could try a MIDI breath controller (for instance http://www.tecontrol.se/products/usb-midi-breath-controller ), to see if you can map blowing into a tube to the sustain control.
text: With less technical jiggery-pokery you could also use a standard sustain pedal (such as this http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/keyboards/detail.asp?stock=12052310152332&gclid=CM_038GxtccCFa-WtAoduwkGug ).
text: With electronic instruments, the pedal can be a lot more easily re-located, so you could try pressing the pedal with another part of your body (putting it under your arm, or rigging up some way to press it with head movement, perhaps).
text: I don't know of any way you could achieve either of these solutions with a standard acoustic piano.
answer_details: author: music.stackexchange.com/users/12482/AJFaraday
score: 4
sents: text: There are instruments like harpsichord or clavichord that seldom (or even never) had pedals similar to the pedals of the modern piano.
text: And the music for these instruments is often played on a piano now.
text: I suggest to practice without pedals and perfect your skill to replace them by manual action where needed.
text: Pedals just help to control the duration and volume.
text: Both can be achieved through the manual keyboard as well, while maybe more difficult.
text: You may think about your repertoire but not all even really good pieces absolutely require pedals for playing.
answer_details: author: music.stackexchange.com/users/8737/h22
score: 3
sents: text: Depending on the repertoire you want to play you might consider playing Mozart's fortepiano .
text: It is not always built with pedals; sometimes hand stops or knee levers were used instead - Wikipedia The music written for these instruments tends to differ in the way that the 'pedals' are used, they might be held on for longer passages.
text: If music of this period did intrest you, then the fortepiano would be the authentic way to play it.
answer_details: author: music.stackexchange.com/users/23098/Jekowl
score: 2
sents: text: Look at:
text: http://www.pianoman.nl/pedal-adaptor-for-the-disabled-pianist.html
text: And you see a solution that I have developed with good results.
answer_details: author: music.stackexchange.com/users/37007/Michiel
score: 2

Summary of the answers:
There are a number of options for disabled piano players who cannot use the foot pedals. They include standard sustain pedal, swapping the acoustic piano for an electric keyboard, knee levers, or using Mozart's fortepiano.
There are a few different ways of solving this problem. You could consider buying an electronic piano and then using more manageable pedals that could be operated by other parts of the body. Similarly, you could look into a knee-lever to operate the pedals with. As a last resort, you might want to take up playing a Mozart Fortepiano.