IT una corda harp technique core term Support my free tools
- Abbreviation
- u.c.
How is una corda played?
This is a piano pedalling instruction, not a string-bowing term. On a grand piano, pressing the left pedal shifts the action sideways so a trichord hammer normally strikes two strings instead of three and contacts a less-worn part of its felt, changing colour as well as volume. The literal name 'one string' recalls early pianos on which the shift could leave only one string sounding. On a modern upright, the soft pedal usually moves the hammers closer to the strings rather than shifting them sideways, so the mechanical and tonal result differs. Keep the pedal engaged until tre corde, t.c., tutte le corde or another explicit release.
How does una corda sound?
A softer, duller, more veiled tone — not merely quieter but altered in colour, with a gentler attack.
In context
Gerou and Lusk and Indiana University specify u.c. where the left pedal is pressed and t.c. where it is cancelled, while UC Santa Barbara piano research confirms that the abbreviations are often used even though the full words remain most common. Yamaha distinguishes the grand-piano action shift from the upright mechanism that shortens hammer travel. Casella’s Ricordi Beethoven edition treats the pedal as a mute-like colour resource—even at forte—not merely as an easier way to play quietly; tre corde or t.c. restores the normal state.