The Pedal Point

The 'pedal point' is one of my favorite musical compositional techniques. Often, it is used to take a moment or a piece that is rather chaotic and harmonically unstable (meaning one can't necessarily tell which key we are in, or the piece goes through so many different key areas, that a tonic - home base - is not recognizable), then the bass plays one note repeatedly to establish a key incredibly solidly. Chaos may still exist above the pedal point, but this low note is strong and stands out. It is gravitational, in a sense. The treble becomes inferior and less important, as this bass notes influence is too strong to be argued.

Here's an example of my favorite pedal point at 1:47. Definitely listen to the whole thing to see how it fits in with the rest of the piece, but the pedal point begins at 1:47. It isn't necessarily the STRONGEST example of a pedal point, as the piece is fairly stable and easy to understand harmonically, but I think it's absolutely beautiful. Listen to how stable that bass note is. It's really quite powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mVW8tgGY_w

A dictionary definition: a note sustained in one part (usually the bass) through successive harmonies, some of which are independent of it.

Here's Kracauer's statement again: "Like a pedal point, the cry 'Elsie!' underlies these otherwise unconnected shots, fusing them into a sinister narrative" (220).

What a lovely connection Kracauer makes. This scene's pedal point, the mother's cry, is the stable "tonic" or home key of the story of the murderer, while the independent harmonies, the shots of "Elsie's unused plate on the kitchen table; a remote patch of grass with her ball lying on it; a balloon catching in telegraph wires..." (220) that may seem unconnected are tied together and stabilized.