Part 1: 1-1: Introduction

My object is a very simple object, one which serves a simple purpose. Originally bought it for

under 15 dollars as an addition to my home music setup. The object is a Yamaha portable ¼

inch sustain pedal, and it's used for keyboard players to sustain notes or make other

modifications to the instrument. Personally, this object holds a lot of value because of how it is

used, and how it plays a functional role in helping me pursue one of my biggest passions:

music. I became obsessed with music late in high school from a small group of my friends, who

decided to form a jazz combo, in order to become more proficient in their respective primary

instruments. I was a trumpet player at the time and decided to dive into the world of jazz with

them. Alongside the countless hours spent practicing, listening, chatting, and performing, I also

gained precious memories of the time I spent with my friends, and the drive to continue to grow

and improve as I move into higher education. Now in the present day, I am working hard at

Mines to improve both my trumpet and piano skills, and have joined and played in a bunch of

various groups on and off campus. It is for this connection, one that many young musicians like

myself have obtained from their experiences with jazz and other genres of cooperative music

that I give the pedal so much value. Throughout every practice session of every day of every

week, I have had my foot on this pedal for almost 2 years, and see it as an essential piece of my

musical gateway. It is for this reason, a culmination of my passions that music has planted, that I

would consider my object to represent the Grand Challenge: “Joyful Living.”

1-2: Conceptual Sketches
 Collection of 3 of the conceptual sketches I drew based on images of my object.

A majority of my conceptual sketching included drawing specific elements and mechanisms

from pictures I took of my object whilst exploded. I was able to get a decent understanding of

how this object works, how it's used, and how it could be potentially replicated or modified from

doing this activity, and I also got more practice doing basic, unorganized concept sketching.

These sketches were also mixed with basic research in order for me to actually understand what

it was that I was looking at…

Examples of reference images I took of my object which are shown in conceptual sketches
1-3,4: Orthographic and isometric drawings

My combined isometric and orthographic sketches of a sustain pedal

1-5: Summary of historical investigation

The sustain pedal, which is also known as the “Sostenuto Pedal,” is a mechanism of an

instrument typically actuated by the musician's foot while playing. The word Sostenuto, like

many other music terms, etymologically originated in Italy and other parts of Europe and was

translated from the Italian word “sostenere,” which means to sustain. It also translates from the

Latin, “sustinēre” to the word “supported” in English (1), rather than the idea of sustainment,

though support is not an entirely unrelated concept. Sostenuto is also a musical term used as a

tempo-marking adjective to describe a smooth, consistently sustained, and constant tempo

throughout a piece of music.

While the pedal itself takes many different forms, the purpose is generally the same for most

acoustic instruments. Mechanically, the sustain pedal is generally used to raise the damper off

of all keys in a stringed instrument like the piano or harp and allow the strings to continue

vibrating after the string has been struck and the striking mechanism released. The colloquial

language between music makers makes it unclear (2), but there is often a difference in

functionality between the “sustain” pedal and “sostenuto” pedal, where the sustain pedal

un-dampens all strings on the instrument, and the sostenuto pedal (its differentiated form

primarily existing among keyboard instruments) only un-dampens strings that have been struck

but have yet to be dampened by the release of the actuating mechanism–such as the key. The

principle behind the sostenuto pedal has uncertain origins, but the original inventor is thought to

be Boisselot of Marseille in 1844, though the commonness of its practice was spread in Europe

by Claude Montal, and was eventually brought to the United States and quickly incorporated

into most pianos by the Famous piano manufacturer, Steinway. Though the incorporation of the

sostenuto pedal into pianos in its modern form began in the late 1800s, there is evidence of

similar mechanisms existing in string instruments long before this. There are commonly 3 pedals
used in a piano instrument, their order being: Soften pedal on the left (also known as the felt,

cotton, quiet pedal), Sostenuto pedal (middle), and sustain pedal on the right side (3).

With the introduction of electronic instruments, both analog and digital, keyboard players use

sustain pedals for a new purpose called “modulation,” which is a blanket term for a number of

oscillating effects used on electronic instruments. Mechanisms similar to the sustain pedal are

used in what are known as “mod pedals” or “effects units” (4). These pedals, especially when

used in electronic instruments can take the same exact form as pedals used for sostenuto,

soften, and sustain, and often have no mechanical changes as a result of pedal ports on analog

instruments and midi binding on digital instruments.

Prior to the incorporation of the expressive pedals in the piano, pedals were used in instruments

dating back to the late Middle Ages and forward as instruments like the Organ, Clavichord and

Harpsichord all existed in variations that incorporated note pedals, which would expand the

range and chordal tones available to the musician, rather than change the sound expressively.
1-6: If I was the designer?

There are a few changes that I would have made to my object if I were the designer. First of all,

I would consider my budget and the cost of components for analog levers, which would be able

to transmit more information through the cable than just a boolean value. In the average use

case, I imagine musicians (including myself) wanting to use an electric sustain pedal

interchangeably with other modification pedals, and considering the variety that comes with a

modular system, I would consider the amount of data needed to perform each task. In the case

of a soften, sustain, or sostenuto pedal, a boolean value is enough data to perform a majority of

the actions demanded by their use. On the other hand, modulation pedals are often used at

intermediate values, and like the difference between a volume knob and a mute button, having

intermediate steps can be incredibly important, especially if the goal of the product is to

stimulate and support artistic expression. If the manufacturing cost didn’t have huge downsides

to the product's price, I would have likely tried to make an analog input work for the pedal.

Another large change that I would make is the ergonomics of the pedal, and as someone who

has been a user of electronic pedals like this for a long time, using them in public places, dorm

rooms, and even in bed, I’ve found that having a versatile pedal is very important. For this

reason, I would aim to keep the weight of the pedal relatively low, but change the back of the

pedal to incline and make the upper case of the pedal longer in order to more evenly spread the

weight of the foot across the pedal to prevent from the pedal slipping in awkward positions,

while keeping the pedal relatively low to the ground. Additionally, the grips on the top of the

pedal I would want to keep, because they are a cheap way to improve the friction on the top

face of the pedal without needing to change materials, solving the issue with a simple plastic

extrusion.
Part 2: Life Cycle Map

Graphic Diagram describing the life cycle of a flip switch pedal

Part 3: SFD Systems Diagram

Low-level diagram showing a basic use case

Part 4: Values of my Object

Considering the inherent value of my object, it has the most value to the traveling musician,

someone who does not have any acoustic instrument, home studio, or access to much

equipment. In this case, the object also has inherent value for offering the utility of a sustain

pedal, which is essential to pianists, for a low price and in a compact, transportable form. To me,

though, my pedal has been with me for the majority of my journey through music on the keys,

and it has begun to hold a certain symbolic meaning when I think about it. To me, the ability to

stuff a small keyboard in my backpack along with my pedal, laptop, and some chords, and have

gained the ability to join others in music when the opportunity presents itself is something

invaluable to me. Some of my greatest moments so far in life have been in the company of other

musicians and having fun with our instruments. I’d assume that my pedal would hold the same

value as my joining others in music when seen from the perspective of others considering

symbolic meaning. To people who aren’t involved in joining me in music or are aware of the

personal significance of my music gear, the pedal may seem to hold no apparent meaning or

purpose. The idea comes to me that others may have genuinely no reaction to the presence of

the pedal in front of them. And that, others who are hurt by the process of the pedal’s creation,

may see its existence as having a negative value. I feel that when it comes to things that I

personally and inherently value more, I think much less about the relatively small, but objectively

present negative impact it has on those by the very nature of its creation. Thinking about

valuable possessions under this light makes me wonder to what extent I am allowed to fuel my

passions at the expense of others’ well-being. I find this perspective to be the most interesting

part of analyzing the relativity of value.

 References

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meaning | Collins English Dictionary. [Online]. Available:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/sostenuto. [Accessed:

05-Feb-2023].

[2] “(PDF) The invention of the sostenuto pedal - researchgate.” [Online]. Available:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320188655_The_Invention_of_the_Sostenuto_

Pedal. [Accessed: 06-Feb-2023].

[3] “Sustain pedal,” Wikipedia, 15-Jan-2023. [Online]. Available:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustain_pedal. [Accessed: 06-Feb-2023].

[4] “Effects unit,” Wikipedia, 03-Feb-2023. [Online]. Available:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_unit. [Accessed: 06-Feb-2023].

[5] “Industries at a glance: Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction: NAICS 21,” U.S.

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07-Feb-2023].

[7] F. Pearce, “As North Sea oil wanes, removing abandoned rigs stirs controversy,” Yale E360.

[Online]. Available:

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ntroversy. [Accessed: 07-Feb-2023].

[8] “How are plastics made?,” This Is Plastics, 16-Jun-2021. [Online]. Available:

https://thisisplastics.com/plastics-101/how-are-plastics-made/. [Accessed: 07-Feb-2023].

[9] MarketScreener, “AP Moller Maersk : Maersk Sustainability Report 2022: Marketscreener,”

MarketScreener.com | stock exchange quotes| Company News. [Online]. Available:

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/AP-MOLLER-MAERSK-1412885/news/AP-

Moller-Maersk-Maersk-Sustainability-Report-2022-42925473/. [Accessed: 07-Feb-2023].