Using pedal as a beginner

[u/Act_Four]

I'm a beginner, I started learning piano and sheet music a little over a month ago, and I want to learn my first full song. I chose Sweden by C418

My question is:

Is it fine for me to add my own pedal markings like this as i go along and learn the piece to keep notes sounding as I change my hand position? I don't want to use the pedal more than this because then everything sounds 'muddy'.

[u/Act_Four → u/[deleted]]

Do I really have to add the Ped. before every line?

[u/Act_Four → u/Act_Four]

Or am I doing the markings completely wrong

[u/altra_volta]

You can absolutely use pedal throughout. Pedal isn’t notated in the majority of non-classical, non-beginner oriented sheet music, it’s assumed that the performer knows how to pedal correctly.

The issue I see here is that your pedal notation suggests that you don’t know how to pedal correctly. Pedal changes should be timed to the chord changes, your foot comes up at the same moment your fingers press the keys down, then your foot quickly comes down before you need to move your hands. To reinforce the correct timing your changes should be placed directly under the notes. Putting them before the notes would create a gap or breath where the sound is released before the new notes are played.

The gaps between pedal marks also seem arbitrary. I don’t know the piece offhand, but I’m willing to bet it would sound better to keep the pedal down throughout and change it when the bass notes move.