Amazing Harmonies With Inverted Pedal Point Music Theory

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Using an inverted pedal point in your chord progression is a harmony technique so easy you will never forget it! So what is a pedal point in music theory? And how do you use this great composition technique?

What is a pedal point or pedal note?

A pedal point or pedal note is a very old technique and you can find it in virtually any style, time, or music genre. It is a bass tone that is sustained or repeated, while the chords and melodies on top change. This can last for multiple bars. Often when you switch chords they will have a dissonant relationship with the pedal note that is sustained. Pedal points can strongly confirm the tonic of the music that you are writing in or they can create a lot of tension back to your tonic chord or root note.

You can see this technique in action in my videos on modal chord progressions. And more specifically in my video on Mixolydian chord progressions. A more in-depth article about regular pedal points will follow.

Where does the term Pedal point come from?

The definition of pedal point comes from the church organ or pipe organ. This is because the lower bass notes are played with the pedals and they can be sustained endlessly.

How can you experiment freely with pedal notes?

Sustain any low note
Freely improvise a melody on top
Listen to what notes create tension and want to resolve
Combine these with consonant tones
Repeat this process with normal chords

Video Tutorial: How An Inverted Pedal Point Changes Your Chord Progression.

If you want to hear how the music theory of adding an inverted pedal point can enhance your chord harmonies by just adding one note. Then check out my video tutorial on inverted pedal points. It’s nice and short but useful for songwriting and music composition.

Inverted Pedal Point

What is an inverted pedal point?

An inverted pedal point is when a pedal note is not in the bass. Instead, it is in the highest voice or part or somewhere in the middle. And this sustained note can be used to create suspensions, and tension notes and add beautiful colours to your chord progressions. The best thing of all is that this technique is very easy to apply.

Below we have a regular diatonic chord progression. How can we use an inverted pedal point to spice up this chord progression?

Regular diatonic chord progression midi — Midi picture of a regular diatonic chord progression midi

Inverted Pedal Point Guitar

On guitar, it is quite easy to play a pedal point and move some chords around the neck. If you haven’t tried this I recommend that you do! For example, Jimmy Page plays a pedal point on the E string that is detuned to D in Kashmir. I talk more about this song in my tutorial about augmented triads.

An example of an inverted pedal point on the guitar is the live solo from Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Flea lays down the bass fundament and John plays a melody while repeating the E string as a pedal point.

Adding Tension with An Inverted Pedal Point

When you add the inverted pedal point to your chord progression it is important to listen and check on which chords it will sound dissonant or consonant. This way you can have the result that you want. In general, if the pedal note is part of the underlying chord, then it will sound consonant. If it is a tritone, 4th, major or minor second, and sometimes a seventh it will sound dissonant. Also, if it is a major 6th on a minor chord or a minor 6 on a major chord it will sound dissonant too.

Inverted pedal point adds tension — Here the inverted pedal tone creates multiple dissonances.

Midi Inverted pedal point adds tension — Here the inverted pedal tone creates multiple dissonances. Picture of the midi piano roll.

Inverted Pedal Note That Blends

Sometimes you want extra colour in your harmonies, but you don’t want any extra tension or dissonance. If this is the case, then you need to make sure that your inverted pedal note is part of your underlying chords. Maybe not all, but at least most of them. In our example below, the pedal point is part of the first two chords and it creates a soft consonance and dissonance on the last two chords.

Blending inverted pedal notes — In the first two bars the pedal point forms a 5th and a major 3rd. After that, it becomes a major 6th and major 2nd.

Blending inverted pedal notes Midi piano roll — Midi piano roll: In the first two bars the pedal point forms a 5th and a major 3rd. After that, it becomes a major 6th and major 2nd.

Conclusion

Pedal notes can be amazing. Especially when you want to create some lush harmonies without too much effort. Keep in mind that the pedal point doesn’t always have to be in the bass. It can be just as beautiful when it is in the middle or the top part of your chords!

You can also check out the wonderful technique of parallel chords. This is probably the easiest technique for original chord progressions and melodies.

Questions about Inverted Pedal Points

A pedal in music is a sustained note. Most often you will find it in the bass. This note creates dissonance or tension with the changing chords above it. Composers and songwriters often use it to create drama or excitement in a musical piece. But it can also help add closure and stability to a piece of music. A pedal can also be inverted, which means that it is in the upper or middle part of the music.

An inverted pedal is a type of pedal point in music. Normally it is the bass note that is sustained. But when it is inverted or reversed the sustained note is in a different voice. So not in the bass. This type of pedal can create interesting and beautiful chord voicings. It can also create contrast and tension with the lower notes.

An ostinato is a short melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic pattern that is repeated throughout a piece or a section of a piece. So basically an ostinato is a repeated note or repeated group of notes. Often but not always these notes are played at a fast pace.

A pedal point on the other hand is traditionally a sustained note. Although, if one note is repeatedly played without any change it creates the same effect as a pedal point.