Sustain Pedals
There’s either 2 or 3 types of pedal commonly found on a piano which all have different functions. The main one you need to worry about though as a beginner is the sustain pedal, which sustains the sound of the notes when the pedal is down. In fact, most digital pianos below a certain price point only function with this pedal anyway.
There’s 2 main issues to be aware of:
- Make sure to use a ‘real’ style pedal with a lever like that of an acoustic piano.
Don’t use a foot switch style pedal which you may sometimes get free when you purchase a keyboard, you can’t control them properly and it’s best to get used to the real thing.
A Proper Style Pedal
Foot Switch Style (Don’t use these)
- Not all pedals are compatible with every brand of keyboard.
Without getting too technical, some pedals and keyboards are wired in such a way that they have the opposite polarities to each other. Essentially, this means the pedal will work in reverse and sustain the notes when the lever is up.
This leaves us with 2 options (without taking it apart!)
1 – Check the specific brands are compatible before you buy or just match the brands of each item
2 – Buy a universal sustain pedal which has a polarity switch
Best Beginner’s Universal Sustain Pedal
This is the most reasonably priced, quality universal pedal I have come across. It’s the pedal many of my students have and it has the polarity switch making it compatible with any keyboard that takes a sustain pedal. It’s also from a reputable brand and available on Amazon.
US You can check prices for the M-Audio SP-2 Pedal on Amazon here
UK You can check prices for the M-Audio SP-2 Pedal on Amazon here
UK and Europe You can check prices for the M-Audio SP-2 Pedal on Gear4Music here
Match The Brand Of Your Keyboard
Each of the big keyboard brands has their own models of sustain pedal. These are all great quality pedals and perhaps have a slightly better feel than the M-audio, but that is still a great beginner’s pedal.
Roland
This is the pedal I use, it feels great to use and works with my Nord pianos. It’s also capable of half-pedalling (making it a little pricier) but most entry level digital pianos don’t support this function anyway.
US You can check prices for the Roland DP-10 on ZZ sounds here
UK and Europe You can check prices for the Roland DP-10 on Gear4Music here
Yamaha
Yamaha has 2 main pedals available, one is a little more expensive but also capable of half pedalling if you have a keyboard with that function.
These are great pedals and compatible with all Yamaha keyboards (that take a sustain pedal)
FC4A (Does NOT do half pedalling)
US You can check prices for the Yamaha FC4A on ZZ Sounds here
UK and Europe You can check prices for the Yamaha FC4A on Gear4Music here
FC3A (Capable of half pedalling)
US You can check prices for the Yamaha FC3A on ZZ Sounds here
UK and Europe You can check prices for the Yamaha FC3A at Gear4Music here
Casio
This pedal is also advertised as a universal sustain pedal
US You can check prices for the Casio SP-20 on ZZ sounds here
UK and Europe You can check prices for the Casio SP-20 on Gear4Music here
Korg
Korg’s pedal is also capable of half peddling with higher end digital pianos that support that function
US You can check prices for the Korg DS1H on Amazon here
UK and Europe You can check prices for the Korg DS1H on Gear4Music here