What does each pedal do on a piano and how do they affect the sound of the instrument?

The three pedals on a piano are the sustain pedal, the soft pedal, and the sostenuto pedal. The sustain pedal allows notes to ring out longer by lifting the dampers off the strings. The soft pedal softens the sound by shifting the hammers closer to the strings. The sostenuto pedal sustains only selected notes while others are played normally. These pedals affect the sound of the piano by altering the resonance, volume, and sustain of the notes played.