Saw it in another thread and couldn't figure it out by context. Maybe I'm doing it and calling it something else?
What is Pedaling?
What is Pedaling?
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Double Bass "Pedal" meaning?
- Thread starter Wez Yo Bice
- Start date
In the other thread, were they talking about guitar or bass pedals, or pedal point? Are you talking about the latter?
Rock-a-billy section, but I presume this is just a I - V chord progression.
[Mystery Train - Elvis (E pedal over and over to the A pedal; then back to E—quarter note single slaps).]
Does it mean, same string 2 fingers, back and forth?
[Mystery Train - Elvis (E pedal over and over to the A pedal; then back to E—quarter note single slaps).]
Does it mean, same string 2 fingers, back and forth?
A pedal point refers to the bass note staying the same over chord changes. Not sure exactly how it applies in that particular example you provide.
You mean like a pedal tone? I've always assumed it was a refernece to walking, something like "staying the path." Ped = foot.
It would be cool to see if anyone has ever traced the etymology.
It would be cool to see if anyone has ever traced the etymology.
From the early days of Pipe Organ performance - the bass notes were typically played with the feet on a pedal "keyboard" under the bench where the Organist sat - holding down a single bass note/pedal while the hands played moving chords above - hence "Pedal Tone".
This is my understanding of the term.
Thanks.
The very specific definition: a pedal point, pedal note, etc is a note that begins within a consonant harmony and then sustains through a dissonant harmony, and then resolves back to a consonance again. It doesn't have to be a bass note, but it usually is.
This is often simplified to "a note that is held through multiple chord changes where you would normally change the note you play along with the chords", because that usually encompasses the whole consonance-dissonance-consonance thing.
The term comes from organ pedals, because compared to other instruments that were common a few hundred years ago, pipe organs were uniquely good for sustaining notes for long periods. Another less common term for the concept is, in fact, an "organ point".
Wow! I get it. Thank you.
Had I not understood about chord voicings and inversions I may not have.
The well known example of this in the jazz world is found in the tune ‘On Green Dolphin Street.’
I won’t over explain it, but you should be able to hear it clearly.
It’s not really about “chord voicings and inversions”, as you mention; it’s about chord movement with a common bass note underneath.
I won’t over explain it, but you should be able to hear it clearly.
It’s not really about “chord voicings and inversions”, as you mention; it’s about chord movement with a common bass note underneath.
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"The term comes from the organ for its ability to sustain a note indefinitely and the tendency for such notes to be played on an organ's pedal keyboard. The pedal keyboard on an organ is played by the feet; as such, the organist can hold down a pedal point for lengthy periods while both hands perform higher-register music on the manual keyboards."
en.wikipedia.org
Pedal point - Wikipedia
Entwistle does it a lot. As in Sparks from Tommy.
Or the long intro in The Real Me (live version).
Or the long intro in The Real Me (live version).
Play one note over the changes. The pedal note is almost always the I or V of the key.
In this context It means just play quarter note A's over the A chord, quarter Note E's over the E chord.
In other word's don't play a typical Rockabilly 1 - 3 - 5 - 6 - b7 - 6 - 5 - 3 walk. Just quarter note roots.
Thanks, but how would I find the pedal note if I didn't know the notes within the chords? Oh, yes there will be chord theory because I don't think I could do this on the fly. (Yet)
This sounds easy enough to be able to do on the fly. It's harder for me to Not change. These folks I play with are waiting for it too. Cept for the mandolin player. But I digress.
In the video for ‘On Green Dolphin Street’,
the bass player starts the piece playing octave B flats. That is the pedal tone for, as others have mentioned, the song key of E flat major. So, if the tune is in E flat, you have E flat as 1, F as 2, G as 3, A flat as 4, and B flat as 5, in the E flat major scale. So, the pedal point is the 5th tone away from the root E flat, in this example. If you count downward from E flat, you have E flat as 1, D as 2, C as 3, and B flat as 4, so the pedal point can also be considered a 4th tone away from the root going down in the scale.
The use of pedal point is common in jazz tune intros, and endings. It is also found as a common device at the bridge. Indeed, if you know the key center of any part of a tune with moving or non moving changes, the pedal point can and is (commonly) used.
As a further explanation for the video, the bass player plays a pedal (point) B flat during the piano introduction. When the trumpet starts the melody, the bass player continues to play the pedal B flat for the next 8 measures in 4/4 time.
The chord movement is:
E flat maj. 7 /E flat maj. 7 / E flat minor 7/ E flat minor 7/ F maj. 7 / E maj. 7 / E flat maj. 7/
C 7…
During all of this chord movement, the bass player keeps playing the pedal B flat.
Notation:
EbMaj7/Bb / EbMaj7/Bb/ Ebm7/Bb/ Ebm7/Bb
FMaj7/Bb etc.
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Reminds me of my public radio days. Maynard Ferguson, Herbie Hancock, Pat Methaney, Weather Report, SpyroGyra, etc.
The Bluegrass kids would tan my wrinkly hyde, if I started Birdland, or even Penny's from Heaven. I had a close friend. When the jam emptied out we'd cut into some nice old Cnt Bassie, or Nat Cole stuff. He's almost still alive @97. And 3'000 miles away. Thanks for the memory.
Nope. A pedal point would be staying on the E over both the E and A chords.
Indeed, the pedal on "Green Dolphin Street" is even written into the Real Book lead sheet.
I play mostly jazz, but also spend some time accompanying fiddlers. I find a pedal tone useful in a number of ways.
Sometimes, when I'm not sure what the changes are supposed to be.
I can pedal through the entire melody while listening, and pick up changes that I can use the next time around.
A pedal can provide a "blank slate" for letting the melody stand on its own, without completely dropping out. You can go even further with this by playing the pedal as a long drone with the bow.
In some older tunes, especially from Nordic traditions, it's not clear to me that any harmonic motion is really appropriate, in which case a pedal avoids pushing the melody in direction that doesn't really work.
I play mostly jazz, but also spend some time accompanying fiddlers. I find a pedal tone useful in a number of ways.
Sometimes, when I'm not sure what the changes are supposed to be.
I can pedal through the entire melody while listening, and pick up changes that I can use the next time around.A pedal can provide a "blank slate" for letting the melody stand on its own, without completely dropping out. You can go even further with this by playing the pedal as a long drone with the bow.
In some older tunes, especially from Nordic traditions, it's not clear to me that any harmonic motion is really appropriate, in which case a pedal avoids pushing the melody in direction that doesn't really work.
