Pedal point
A pedal point is a long-held or constantly repeated bass note over which the harmonies change. The bass note stays while the chords above it move on, and so chords arise that do not fit the bass note itself and resolve only at the end.
- Mark
- bass note stays, harmonies change
- Commonest notes
- tonic (root) or dominant
- Name
- probably after the organ pedal: a pedal note is held
- Also
- possible in voices other than the bass (inner or upper pedal)
The note that stays
The name points to the instrument. Where exactly the word comes from, the literature does not explain uniformly. On the organ you can hold a pedal note while the hands play changing chords. From this a general term arose: a pedal point is a bass note that is held or struck again and again while the harmonies above it change.
Tonic pedal in C major: chords (right hand)
Over the bass note C sound C major, F major and G major (chord 3, marked), then C major again.
The pedal point: left hand
The bass stays on C, in every chord. With the G major chord the C is a non-chord tone: it rubs against the B and resolves only in the final chord.
Dominant pedal: chords over the bass note G
The bass lies on G (dominant) under G major, F major and G7 and goes to the root C only in the last chord. The dominant pedal builds expectation of the close.
In the glossary: Slash chord · Dominant · Tonic
Tension through friction
When the harmonies change over the held note, they do not always fit it. The bass note is then a non-chord tone, in the example the C under the dominant chord. This friction is resolved only when the harmony fits the bass note again. Pedal points most often lie on the tonic or the dominant. The dominant pedal before the close builds expectation of the tonic.
Notation
In chord symbols the pedal point often appears as a slash chord: F/C means F major over the bass note C. A sequence such as C – F/C – G/C – C is a tonic pedal in chord notation. In Baroque music, in Bach and in organ music, the pedal point is a favourite means of a solemn close.
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Related terms
Slash chordDominantTonicPolychordFigured bassCadenceNon-chord toneSix-three chord
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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