Sustaining Resonance
When I began taking piano lessons, my feet barely reached those foot petals in the center of the piano. So, I didn’t pay too much attention to them until later. Besides, my teacher wanted me to understand the basics of holding a note down with my fingers, rather than relying on something else, like the “sustain” pedal, to continue the resonance.
Recently, in discussing spiritual practices, the concept of the sustain pedal was mentioned. My notes got kind of sketchy as the day-long retreat continued, so I may have missed writing down exactly the point the speaker made in referencing the sustain pedal on the piano. Honestly, I sometimes have to balance my need to take copious notes with making sure I am listening in the moment. Listening works kind of like a meta function for me --- seeing and hearing the overall picture, while taking notes satisfies the part of me that wants to zone in on specific details.
In any case, I’ve been thinking for several days now about that sustain pedal. I remembered there were three pedals on the piano I learned to play on. I looked up what they all do, because I really only ever used the sustain pedal. I learned that the middle pedal is often called the sostenuto pedal. It too sustains notes, but only notes that are pressed down at the moment the foot pedal is pressed. Any notes played after that are not sustained. The sustain pedal, by contrast, lifts the felt pads, or dampers, off all the strings, so it will sustain all the notes you play while holding down the foot pedal.
Sustaining resonance also could be used to describe what many people I know, myself included, when it comes to the current political situation in the United States right now. I had to lift my foot off the pedal, and even the keys, a few days ago, just to give myself a little rest, but I am back at it now. By back at it, I mean I am paying attention to the news, and responding by making phone calls to my congressional representatives and senators. I suppose I am pressing that middle pedal, where I press down (make calls) for what seems most pressing (those individual issues that seem most urgent). I think I was pressing the sustain pedal for a long while, and all that noise, all those issues, executive orders, breaking news blasts, were holding on so long that all I could hear was a cacophony of noise, with no real clarity at all.
I do think in this present moment I have a moral obligation to continue to speak up. Some of that will be phone calls or emails, or perhaps in person events when my schedule allows. But I have come to recognize that part of my “sustaining” can also be what I write, both prose pieces I share on substack, poetry, and sermons that I not only write, but also speak and share for folks online and in person. These are things that I can do. I also think in person discussion with others not only helps me have some clarity on what is most important, but also helps us all to feel not so isolated and hopeless. These are the notes that I can hit while pressing the sostenudo pedal. The sound carries, but only the notes I am hitting while I press the foot pedal. The noise is less a wash of sound, but accents more clearly particular sounds.
Your piano playing, that is, the way you participate in important dialogue about issues that matter to you and your community, well, that may vary. Some of you may even use to your advantage that third pedal, the “soft” pedal, which makes a quieter noise, but also makes the music more ethereal, and beautiful, perhaps effective, in a different way.
So, whatever your “piano” playing skills might be, I hope you find a way to make your voice heard, in soft ways, or louder ones, in a way that brings you some hope, some peace. If the noises get too loud inside your own head, take a breather, lift your foot off the pedal and the keys for a moment, and when you can, return to play this shared melody of resistance. And may the symphonic sound of all of us “playing” together create enough noise to be noticed, and not just by those who have power to steer us to better outcomes, but also for those who stand to lose the most, our neighbors who are anxious, those whose lives and livelihoods hang in the balance. They, too, need to hear the music of our voices and our actions, so that they may know that we are with them, advocating for them, and finding a way to sustain the resonance of a resistance that matters for all of us.
So, here’s a poem I wrote. I hope it helps flesh out what I am trying to convey.
The Resonance of Sustained Protest
With fumbling fingers I find the notes,
The right hand is always easier!
My left hand finally learns to join in,
And those deeper notes
Anchor the melody,
And give the music a
Satisfying depth.
When my feet finally find
Those foot pedals,
I begin to make
Best use of all the sound
My hands are making,
Holding this sound,
Blending chords into a
Crescendo of sound.
Make my fumbling fingers,
My tentative voice,
Speak not just the high notes,
But the low ones as well.
May I add depth
And resonance
That the actions of my feet
Allow.
Help me to play my part,
In the symphony
Of resistance.
Amy Vaughan
February 18 2025
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