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Music vocabulary · Music Theory and Harmony

Pedal point

Meaning in music, with examples

nounCommon term

In music, pedal point means: A note held or repeated while the harmonies around it change, usually but not always in the bass.

In Turkish: pedal sesi

How it is used

Used in composition and analysis. A pedal point may agree with some chords and clash with others before the tension resolves.

Example sentences

  1. Hold a low D as a pedal point while the strings change chords above it.

    The fixed bass note anchors a passage whose upper harmony keeps moving.

  2. The repeated high note becomes a pedal point during the closing passage.

    This example places the stable repeated pitch above the changing harmony.

Common collocations

  • bass pedal point
  • sustained pedal point
  • dominant pedal point
  • harmonyThe sound of different notes heard together, and the way chords are built and connected. It also means a second vocal line sung above or below the melody.
  • basslineThe low-pitched musical part that supports harmony and rhythm, often played by bass guitar, synth, or double bass.
  • dissonanceA combination of notes that sounds tense or unstable and seems to need to move, or resolve, to a more restful sound. The opposite is consonance.

More terms: Music Theory and Harmony

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