BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
3701 / 18210 · Workshop 19 — “On Green Dolphin Street”: Modal Vamps, Pedal Points, Functional Harmony, and Switching Between Two Different Ways of Thinking← prev⊞ allnext →

19.4Pedal point

A pedal means one bass note stays fixed while upper harmony changes.

Example:

Bass: C C C C

C C C C

Above it:

Cmaj7/C

D/C

E♭/C

F/C

or other colors depending style.

The upper structures change.

The bass remains the anchor.