It's not 'another' technique. Even if you HAVE a sustain pedal, you should be able to smoothly hold
voices with traditional technique. The thing is, the sustain pedal ADDS to that technique, and allows you
to play things you CAN'T without it.

Every one of us that went through standard piano lessons can remember that much piano music
(especially beginner stuff) had the pedal marks written out, and how adamant our teachers were
that you not use it unless indicated. You are SUPPOSED to do what Donny does a lot of the time,
but when the piece calls for it, there the sustain pedal is!

I'm sorry, but you AREN'T playing an accordion any more. You are playing an ARRANGER. And, an
arranger has sustain pedals. This is simply absurd. I'm pretty sure how Donny would react to someone
that decided that accordion playing shouldn't involve any use of the left hand buttons. Now SURE... you
CAN play the accordion's RH side only, but that doesn't REALLY count as playing the accordion, does
it? And playing a keyboard without a sustain pedal falls into the same category... If you play a piano
patch, you should play it pianistically. I seem to recall all SORTS of advice from His Duality about
remembering to play each sound idiomatically. Well, to play any piano type sound (including Rhodes,
Wurli, etc.), to be idiomatic, you need a sustain pedal.

Why not take your own advice, Donny?

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 10-19-2009).]