What does the right pedal on a piano do?

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The right pedal on a piano, commonly known as the damper pedal or "loud" pedal, serves to lift all the felt dampers away from the piano's strings. By doing so, it allows all the strings to vibrate freely, which sustains the sound of notes even after the keys are released and enables the strings to resonate sympathetically with one another.12

This pedal is a standard feature on modern pianos, positioned to the right of the other pedals, and is distinct from the middle sostenuto pedal, which only sustains specific notes held at the moment of activation, and the left una corda (or "soft") pedal, which modifies the action to produce a quieter tone.23