Why Doesn’t Half-Pedalling Have One Fixed Foot Position?

Half-pedalling is often misunderstood as pressing the right pedal exactly halfway. The mechanism does not operate by a universal percentage. A fully depressed pedal lifts the dampers from the strings, while a released pedal returns them. Between those positions, the dampers lightly touch or approach the strings, partially shortening the resonance. The result changes continuously; it is not a concealed on-off switch.

An adult learner who memorises only an ankle height may lose the effect on another instrument. Pedal free play, damper regulation and tactile response differ between pianos. Bass notes sustain longer, treble notes naturally decay faster, and room reverberation changes the clarity you hear. The reliable reference for half-pedalling is therefore not a foot position, but how much sound remains and whether the previous harmony has receded enough not to cloud the next one.

Try holding a low chord with full pedal, then raise the foot very slowly and listen for the point where the resonance becomes shorter without vanishing abruptly. What you discover is a useful range on this piano, not a permanent measurement. On another piano, listen again. The movement should certainly become familiar, but that familiarity must remain calibrated by the ear.

https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Pedagogy-of-Piano-Pedaling/991031453873002976
https://hub.yamaha.com/pianos/p-acoustic/the-disklavier-piano-pedals/

When practising the same score in <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scoreflow/id6796205656">ScoreFlow</a&gt;, shift your attention from 'where is my foot?' to the decay you actually hear after each harmony changes. The app presents the score; your ear still decides the pedal depth.