"pedal"

It means you have one note repeated in the bass, often with harmonic and melodic motion on top of it. Usually the pedal tone is a "common tone" among the harmonies above it.

Check out the bass line to "jump" by Van Halen.

 

The bass line to 46&2 by Tool (the intro bit) features the technique.

 

^^ Im guessing in 46&2, the D is the common tone?

 

Ooh, good guess.

 

From what I've been taught, the pedal note is usually the 5th. And it's like a vamp but on the 5th.

 

Jazzin', that's a good example of a pedal tone in one application. A lot of bass players will pedal the fifth in a jazz tune, it adds a lot of tension. But the term "pedal" refers to a much broader musical tool.

Oh and I said that it's "usually" a common tone, so you can have harmonies over the pedal that don't contain the pedal note.

 

Will, I would imagine the term "pedal" is in reference to an organ?