Una corda
Depress the left pedal on a piano to soften the tone
Category
performance
Pronunciation
OO-nah KOHR-dah
Origin
Italian
Length
220 words · 2 min read
About Una corda
Una corda ("one string") is a piano direction indicating that the performer should depress the soft (left) pedal. On a modern grand piano, this pedal shifts the entire hammer mechanism slightly to the right so that each hammer strikes fewer strings — on a modern instrument, typically two instead of three for treble notes.
More performance terms
Con pedale
View all performanceterms →With pedal — an instruction to use the sustain pedal on keyboard instruments
A CappellaSinging without instrumental accompaniment.
ArticulationThe manner in which individual notes are attacked, sustained, and released.
SoloA passage for a single performer, with or without accompaniment.
OssiaAn alternative passage offered as an easier or different version
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v1 · 10/04/2026Browse all terms →