For "pedal tones" in the orchestrational sense, see pedal point.
Trombone slide position "pedal tones".
Pedal tone demonstration
Demonstration of pedal tones on the trombone. The first two notes are B♭3 and B♭2, and the last note is a pedal B♭1.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Spectrogram of the above recording.
Pedal tones (or pedals) are special low notes in the harmonic series of brass instruments. A pedal tone has the pitch of its harmonic series' fundamental tone. Its name comes from the foot pedal keyboard pedals of a pipe organ, which are used to play 16' and 32' sub-bass notes by pressing the pedals with the player's feet. Brasses with a bell do not naturally vibrate at this frequency.
A closed cylinder vibrates at only the odd members of its harmonic series. This set of pitches is too sparse to be musically useful for brass instruments; therefore, the bells and mouthpieces of brasses are crafted to adjust these pitches. The bell significantly raises all pitches in the series, particularly on the low end, while the mouthpiece lowers the higher harmonics, limiting the amount to which higher harmonics are raised by the bell. The resulting compressed set of pitches resembles a new harmonic series that includes the even members. This new series is similar to that of a stopped conical tube, with the exception of the fundamental, which is no longer incorporated in the harmonic series.
The original fundamental resonance is not raised all the way to the new fundamental pitch, and is not used in playing. The new fundamental can be played, however, as a pedal tone. The higher resonances of the new series help the lips vibrate at the fundamental frequency and allow the pitch to sound. The resulting tone relies heavily on overtones for its perception, but in the hands of a skilled player, pedal tones can be controlled and can sound characteristic to the instrument.
On trombone, pedal B♭1 is frequently seen in commercial scoring but much less often in symphonic music. Notes below B♭ are called for only rarely as they "become increasingly difficult to produce and insecure in quality" with A♭1 or G1 being the bottom limit for most trombonists.[1]
Pedal tones are called for occasionally in advanced brass repertoire, particularly in that of the trombone and especially the bass trombone. Although not frequently used, pedal tones can often be played on a didgeridoo.
^Kennan and Grantham (2002). The Technique of Orchestration, p.148-149. ISBN 0-13-040771-2.
Pedaltone demonstration Demonstration of pedaltones on the trombone. The first two notes are B♭3 and B♭2, and the last note is a pedal B♭1. Problems...
In music, a pedal point (also pedal note, organ point, pedaltone, or pedal) is a sustained tone, typically in the bass, during which at least one foreign...
nonchord tone is a pedal point or pedaltone (PD) or note, almost always the tonic or dominant, which is held through a series of chord changes. The pedal point...
harp with pedals used to change the tuning of its strings Pedal point, a type of nonchord tone, usually in the bass Pedaltone, a fundamental tone played...
pedal (or una corda), the sostenuto pedal, and the sustaining pedal (or damper pedal). Some pianos omit the sostenuto pedal, or have a middle pedal with...
Richard's use of a Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tonepedal on the 1965 Rolling Stones song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Later pedals like the Pro Co Rat and Ibanez...
A sustain pedal or sustaining pedal (also called damper pedal, loud pedal, or open pedal) is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. It is typically...
pedal or una corda pedal (Italian for 'one string'), is one pedal on a piano, generally placed leftmost among the pedals. On a grand piano this pedal...
as a pedaltone pitch. Instead, trombonists use the higher harmonics of the instrument to produce pedaltones, giving them a bright and hollow tone quality...
A pedalboard (also called a pedal keyboard, pedal clavier, or, with electronic instruments, a bass pedalboard) is a keyboard played with the feet that...
century, due to their superior processing power and desirable tones as compared to pedal-style units. However, by the 21st century, with the advent of...
Pedaltone: Composers have written notes as low as two-and-a-half octaves below the low F♯ at the bottom of the standard range. Extreme low pedals are...
and Gary Moore. The pedal has a clear, punchy tone and features a flatter EQ-curve for a more amp-like tone than similar pedals, like the Ibanez Tube...
keys or pedals are struck; i.e., the organ produces the same volume whether the key or pedal is depressed gently or firmly. Moreover, the tone will remain...
of a pedalboard and analog synthesizer tone generation circuitry packaged together as a unit. The bass pedals are plugged into a bass amplifier or PA...
player, the missing fundamental of the series can still be played as a pedaltone, which relies mainly on vibration at the overtone frequencies to produce...
Ibanez Tube Screamer is a guitar overdrive pedal, made by Ibanez. The pedal has a characteristic mid-boosted tone popular with blues, rock and metal players...
Tone Bender is the name of several fuzz distortion effect pedals. The first incarnation of the Tone Bender was designed by electronics engineer and former...
improved over the years therefore loss of tone is not as bad. From 1966 until sometime in 2003 this pedal was produced with a black inductor, which is...
suspended chords over an E♭ pedaltone on the outside. On the inside – the channel – the chords are suspended over a B♭ pedaltone." The composition, on that...
variations of the original RAT pedal are still being produced today. The pedal has changed in appearance over the years, but its tone has remained largely the...
sympathetically with other strings whenever the damper pedal is depressed and thus give a fuller tone. Only a very small number of works composed for piano...
instrumentation includes heavy guitar riffs often utilizing percussive pedaltones and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically perform screaming...
tuba in particular are often called upon to play pedaltones and "false tones" or "privileged tones" which have a pitch between the normal range and the...
to a popular pedal in short supply, the AnalogMan King of Tone. The company also had to change the names of a small number of their pedals due to name...
Global Information
