What's a pedal tone

[Step]

I recently heard the term pedal tone and, even after readin the wiki entry of it I cant figure out what it is

I THINK a pedal tone is this:

A,(A),A,D,A,F,A,E

A serves as a pedal tone, it's a tone you keep returning to and holds everything together

I could be very wrong about this, but that's why I ask

[DocBop]

Simply put it staying on one bass note while the chords continue to change. The note you pedal is one that fits all the chords as they go by.

[Step]

Originally Posted by DocBop

Simply put it staying on one bass note while the chords continue to change. The note you pedal is one that fits all the chords as they go by.

ok, so to actually get a pedal tone you at least have to have 2 instruments, and the example I posted isn't a pedal tone right?

[scottbass]

The concept of "pedal tone" comes from the world of pipe organ. Just one instrument, but a skilled organist is playing three different parts (pedals, swell, great) simultaneously. It is indeed a single bass tone that is sustained while the other two manuals continue to play moving parts. A perfect example is the beginning of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. The melody plays a repeating pattern that descends by octaves until it reaches the lowes D. That note (pedal tone) is sustained while the melody and and harmony (swell and great) ascend in a new pattern. A pedal tone doesn't necessarily "fit" all the chords being played over it, but it is in the same major or minor scale.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by Step

ok, so to actually get a pedal tone you at least have to have 2 instruments, and the example I posted isn't a pedal tone right?

Your example is a pedal tone too.

[MarkTAW]

Originally Posted by scottbass

The concept of "pedal tone" comes from the world of pipe organ. Just one instrument, but a skilled organist is playing three different parts (pedals, swell, great) simultaneously. It is indeed a single bass tone that is sustained while the other two manuals continue to play moving parts. A perfect example is the beginning of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. The melody plays a repeating pattern that descends by octaves until it reaches the lowes D. That note (pedal tone) is sustained while the melody and and harmony (swell and great) ascend in a new pattern. A pedal tone doesn't necessarily "fit" all the chords being played over it, but it is in the same major or minor scale.

I just want to add, in case it isn't obvious, that these are deep tones played literally by pedals under the pipe organs.

Example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyC19VVuQis