The “Soft Pedal” (the left pedal). On a grand piano, pressing this shifts the entire action to the right so the hammers hit only one string (una corda) or two strings instead of three.
- The Savvy Take: Don’t treat this just as a “volume knob.” It changes the color of the sound to be more muffled and ethereal. Use it for atmosphere, not just when you see a piano dynamic marking.