DESCRIPTION:
Learn how to use inverted pedal notes to add interest and variety to your harmonic progressions.

What is a Pedal Note?

A pedal note, often also called pedal point, is a sustained note which is kept constant while the chords change. Most pedal notes are played with the left hand in the bass register, but pedal notes can also be used at higher pitches. This can create chord voicings which change very smoothly, and is the topic of this video. I call these notes "inverted pedal notes", since instead of keeping the lowest note constant we're going to keep the *highest* note constant.

The term "inverted pedal note" is my own - it isn't used in music theory, and in fact almost all pedal notes are bass notes, so I had to invent a name for it. You know what they say: the first part in understanding something is naming it!

An Example of an Inverted Pedal Note

Consider the chord progression: C major to G major to F major (all triads). These notes are made of the following notes:
C = C E G
G = G B D
F = F A C

If we keep the note "G" constant, we can come up with the following voicings:

C = C E G
G = B D G
F = A C F G

Note that the note G is not part of the F major chord, but we're going to keep it anyway. This is the idea of a pedal note: it's a note that you keep playing even if it doesn't fit into a couple of the chords in your sequence. The listener's ears will interpret it as a passing note and not only "forgive" the transgression, but even come to enjoy it. Try playing the above chords and you'll see what I mean - these voicings are quite pleasant to our ears!

Where are Pedal Notes Used in Reality?

From Wikipedia: (at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_point):

Pop songs using pedal points include "Fly like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band, "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, and "Crazy" by Seal. The progressive rock band Genesis often used a "pedal-point groove", in which the "bass remains static on the tonic as chords move above the bass at varying speeds," with the Genesis songs "Cinema Show" and "Apocalypse in 9/8" being examples of this. "By the late 1970s and early 1980s, pedal-point grooves such as this had become a well-worn cliché of progressive rock as they had of funk (James Brown's "Sex Machine"), and were already making frequent appearances in more commercial styles such as stadium rock (Van Halen's 'Jump') and synth-pop (Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'Relax')."

Film composers use pedal points to add tension to thrillers and horror films. In the Hitchcock thriller film North by Northwest, Bernard Herrmann, "uses the pedal point and ostinato as techniques to achieve tension," resulting in a dissonant, dramatic effect. In one scene, "The Phone Booth", Herrmann, "uses the timpani playing a low pedal B-flat to create a sense of impending doom," as one character is arranging for another character's murder.

Rock guitarists have used pedal points in their solos, especially neoclassical guitarists such as Yngwie Malmsteen. Other rock guitarists that use pedal points in solos are Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, John Sykes and Vinnie Moore. Pedal points can be heard on records such as Vinnie Moore's "Time Odyssey" and "Mind's Eye"'; Yngwie Malmsteen's "Rising Force"; Jason Becker's "Perpetual Burn"; and Richie Kotzen's "Fever Dream". Thrash metal in particular makes abundant use a muted low E string (or lower, if other tunings are used) as a pedal point. Examples of thrash metal bands that make use of a muted low E string pedal point include: Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. Megadeth's song "Hangar 18" in particular makes use of pedal point throughout the track until its ending solo sections. In small combo jazz or jazz fusion groups, the double bass player or Hammond organist may also introduce a pedal point (usually on the tonic or the dominant) in a tune that does not explicitly request a pedal point, to add tension and interest.

Related Videos:

I suggest you also watch my previous video on pedal notes in the bass register, which complements the current lesson nicely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynmh1Ngo2Fk

You are all welcome to check out my other piano, music and harmony video lessons here on Youtube. Some select samples include:

Polychords: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2YroOswm0E
Songwriting Secrets: Rhythmic Doubling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_HNwZTrMIk
Piano Tip: Achieving a modern sound with a "Fourth-on-Fifth": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UOapCl584s
Music Technology 101: Sampling Rate and Bit Depth Explained:
How to simplify chord voicings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82mG_Tjy3PU

Other People's Videos: