sustaining pedal

On a piano, the pedal on the right which, when depressed, lifts all the dampers. This allows the notes to continue vibrating after the fingers release the keys. In addition to prolonging the notes played by the fingers, it also enriches the tone quality by allowing other strings to vibrate by means of sympathetic resonance. Used sparingly in 18th-century music, in the 19th century the sustaining pedal was used increasingly to create impressionistic effects.