Pedal Bass examples

Us And Them - Pink Floyd


Bass is D throughout the intro and verse.


The other parts change creating magnificent harmony.


The figures bass code [Bach-Noedt] is:


The key is D major ie all notes are natural or white keyboard expect F which is F sharp and C which is C sharp).


D9
D69 (means having the 9th and 6th above D ie, E and B)
D(3b)7
D46
D(7)9


This above means.


D bass and the sequence of sustained notes for example D E D A E D E
D bass and D E D B F E F (remember F is F#)
D bass and D F A F C A F A (here F is natural but remember C is C#)[2]
D bass and D G D B G D E
D bass and D E D A E D E



Pedal bass can be generalized to another higher part.


For example a vocal singing the same note for example D while other parts are changing. Sowing the Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears is a magnificent example. On verse voice sings mostly D. Bass is descending the G minor scale step by step. G bass and D is the usual 135 chord, harmonic triad. But then F bass and D creates F6. E and D creates Eb major 7th...[Bach-Niedt].
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VAtGOESO7W8#fauxfullscreen


Other example a guitar playing just a high note A for a long time while bass changes. For example the beginning of With or Without you - U2
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6DeDzsCGbsQ#fauxfullscreen


Reference:


Bach Bass Rules (source is Spita's biography of Bach)


Edited by Norman Schmidt: https://normanschmidt.net/scores/bachjs-general_bass_rules.pdf


[2] The composer Rick Wright explains how he got this chord from his love of Jazz, on the DVD, The Making of Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd