Sustain pedal mark

The abbreviation Ped. below the staff, instructing the pedal down.

Also known as: Pedal marking, Ped under the staff

MusicalEveryday & digitalQuiet profile

Meanings

Ped. below the staff tells a pianist to press the sustain pedal; a small asterisk-like mark releases it. Modern scores increasingly use a bracket line instead, which shows the exact span.

Common modern usageVerified fact
Instructs a pianist to depress the sustain pedal, lifting the dampers so strings continue to sound after the keys are released.
Contexts: Music
Common modern usageVerified fact
Is released at a small star-shaped mark, or shown as a bracketed horizontal line whose length states the exact span — the newer convention and the more precise one.
Contexts: Music

Visual description

The letters P, e and d in an ornate serif face followed by a full stop, set below the lowest staff line.

A fuller structured visual breakdown is not yet documented for this symbol.

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references.

Sources

List of musical symbols
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.
Sustain pedal
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31

Part of

Musical expression and technique marks

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Meanings

Ped. below the staff tells a pianist to press the sustain pedal; a small asterisk-like mark releases it. Modern scores increasingly use a bracket line instead, which shows the exact span.

Common modern usageVerified fact

Instructs a pianist to depress the sustain pedal, lifting the dampers so strings continue to sound after the keys are released.

Contexts: Music

Common modern usageVerified fact

Is released at a small star-shaped mark, or shown as a bracketed horizontal line whose length states the exact span — the newer convention and the more precise one.

Contexts: Music

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references.

Sources

List of musical symbols
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.
Sustain pedal
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31