Cryptic crossword clue
Piano part felt sad with hollow piano playing 4,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 5 letter word SOFT PEDAL

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Piano part" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case piano part = soft pedal.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does SOFT PEDAL mean?

SOFT PEDAL verb
  1. To attempt to persuade without being obvious about it, by understating a position so the listener takes the good points as obvious.
  2. To tone down, damp, mute or obscure something; to proceed in a less forceful, circumspect or subdued manner.

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