Hear the notes without pedal first
Play a short progression with no sustain pedal and listen to the natural length of each note. Connect what you can with the fingers, but do not force uncomfortable stretches to avoid every gap. This unpedaled version reveals whether the chord changes and releases are accurate. Pedal can enrich a controlled part, but it can also conceal uneven timing and make unrelated notes blend. If the progression is unclear before pedal is added, solve the hand movement first so you know what sound you are trying to preserve.
Clear the previous harmony deliberately
For a simple legato exercise, play the new chord, lift the pedal to release the old sound, and depress it again to sustain the new harmony. Practice slowly enough to hear the clearing moment. The precise amount of overlap depends on the instrument, room, register, and desired texture. Do not treat one pedal recipe as correct for every passage. If the bass becomes cloudy, use less pedal or release earlier. Listen to what remains audible after each change rather than watching only the foot.
Include rests and endings in the exercise
A rest may require the pedal to lift even when your hands have already stopped playing. Practice a short phrase that ends in silence and coordinate the final release with a clear count. Then add the pedal to a checked AudioChords progression and compare the result with the dry version. The aim is not to imitate the exact ambience of a produced recording, which may contain effects beyond a piano's sustain. Choose enough resonance to support your arrangement while keeping chord identity, rhythmic space, and the final cutoff easy to hear.