Sustain pedal

Pressing the sustain pedal also causes all the strings to vibrate sympathetically with whichever notes are being played, which greatly enriches the piano's tone.

A later builder, Johann Andreas Stein, may have been the first to allow the player to lift the dampers while still playing; his device was controlled by a knee lever.

Until the onset of the Romantic era in music, the sustain pedal was considered a special effect, used only in particular circumstances.

An alternative (and older) notation is the use of indicating where the sustain pedal should be depressed, and an asterisk showing where it should be lifted.

Occasionally there is a general direction at the start of a movement instructing that the sustain pedal be applied continuously throughout.