Designing a pedal assist for a grand? to pedal damper with left foot
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It is becoming increasingly likely that I will have to have surgery on my right foot. If so, that means I won’t be able to pedal with my right foot for possibly two months or maybe more. I don’t want to be forced to play without the pedal during that time, and the last time I tried, it seemed like playing the damper pedal with my left foot would not work. (Although maybe it will and maybe I’ll try it again this evening)
I googled around and didn’t see any “pedal extenders” designed to allow you to pedal with your left foot, the only ones I saw were for children, to allow those with short legs to reach the pedals.
So it seems like this ought to be something one could design (my husband is quite crafty). But also you wouldn’t want to design something that would damage the pedals, or the finished etc.
How would you go about trying to design something like this? (For the record, we don’t have a 3D printer).
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Btw here’s one of the single pedal extenders, designed to raise the pedal but it’s still on the right side. I would want something that comes over to the left… I was wondering if modifying an existing one would be possible, but it doesn’t seem like it.
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Or I’ll just pedal with my left foot, no modifications…
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Check with your tech! There have been discussions online about making knee pedaling possible for clients - so techs have thought about options before. Most of these have been more permanent solutions that involve a redesign to the trapwork under the piano. Probably more than you want to do!
Starting with the design picture, I'd add an "up and over" section to the left and then down to pedal level. Lots of possible issues with twist and stability come to mind...
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Check with your tech! There have been discussions online about making knee pedaling possible for clients - so techs have thought about options before. Most of these have been more permanent solutions that involve a redesign to the trapwork under the piano. Probably more than you want to do!
Starting with the design picture, I'd add an "up and over" section to the left and then down to pedal level. Lots of possible issues with twist and stability come to mind...
Most of these have been more permanent solutions that involve a redesign to the trapwork under the piano. Probably more than you want to do!
Yeah, I definitely don't want a permanent modification. (Trying not to think about worst case scenarios where that would be necessary!)
@Rontuner said:
I'd add an "up and over" section to the left and then down to pedal level. Lots of possible issues with twist and stability come to mindRight, it seems like "up and over" would have lots of room for falling over, or breaking...
Someone on Piano Tell wrote:
disconnect the mechanism (e.g. the vertical rod) of the Una Corda and Sostenuto pedals, then make a horizontal bar to link all three pedals so that they depress/release together.
What do you think about that? Presumably this would be reversible. And I rarely use the other two pedals, so if I could get the left pedal to connect to the damper, temporarily disabling the other pedals, that would be ok.
Is this possible?
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Hm. Interesting approach. Take a look at the back side of your pedals where you would disconnect the two rods. If there is enough room, that might be the best place to clamp two bars across? With the pedals rounded in the front, that might prove more problematic to get a solid clamping force between the pedals.
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Hm. Interesting approach. Take a look at the back side of your pedals where you would disconnect the two rods. If there is enough room, that might be the best place to clamp two bars across? With the pedals rounded in the front, that might prove more problematic to get a solid clamping force between the pedals.
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Two bars, possibly covered with thin felt or leather on the side that will touch the pedal. (hopefully in the back) Probably stronger to be long enough for 4 vertical bolts - 2 between pedals and 2 on the outside.
Yamaha C3? That's the piano at our choir practice tonight. I can take a look.
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