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On all grand pianos, the leftmost pedal, called the una corda pedal (Italian for "one string," which is essentially inaccurate), slightly shifts the keyboard and hammers to the right, so that only two of the triple-strung strings are struck, while the double-strung and wound strings are struck a bit off-center; the result is a slight but perceptible change in color, and softens the sounds as much as one dynamic level. The use of the una corda (this term is recommended as more direct than "the soft pedal") is indicated by writing u.c. below the bottom staff, and it is cancelled by writing t.c. ("tre corde" = three strings, also somewhat inaccurate).

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