1.1.4
Harmonic Devices
Pedal Notes
Pedal Notes
Harmonic devices include pedal notes, suspension, modulation, and ground bass.
![Illustrative background for Pedal notes](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/a72c5ef7-d10e-4416-87b1-7dd9824d1738/piano-78492_1920,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Pedal notes ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/a72c5ef7-d10e-4416-87b1-7dd9824d1738/piano-78492_1920,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Pedal notes
Pedal notes
- A pedal note is one of the most common harmonic devices used in music and is simply where a single note is held or repeated whilst the rest of the harmony changes.
- There are two main types of pedal note:
- Tonic pedal.
- Dominant pedal.
![Illustrative background for Tonic pedal](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/1421c690-6fb6-44ed-993f-bbc4d7436603/numbers-1487222_1280,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
![Illustrative background for Tonic pedal ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/1421c690-6fb6-44ed-993f-bbc4d7436603/numbers-1487222_1280,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
Tonic pedal
Tonic pedal
- Tonic pedal:
- When the held or repeated note is the first note of the key scale (e.g. C in C major).
- This sounds very stable and ‘rooted.’
![Illustrative background for Dominant pedal](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-11/d656d96c-32f2-4e2d-b97e-d12307c472d8/5-number-five-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Dominant pedal ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-11/d656d96c-32f2-4e2d-b97e-d12307c472d8/5-number-five-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Dominant pedal
Dominant pedal
- Dominant pedal:
- When the held or repeated note is the fifth note of the key scale (e.g. G in C major).
- This sounds less stable and feels like the music has ‘lifted’.
![Illustrative background for Set works](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-11/25687aa0-0f65-44d9-ad9c-3783b557241d/music-headphones-listen-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Set works ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-11/25687aa0-0f65-44d9-ad9c-3783b557241d/music-headphones-listen-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Set works
Set works
- Pedals occur in many of the set works.
- Perhaps the most obvious one is in the Allegro (first subject at bar 11) of the Beethoven set work.
- This is a tonic pedal (octave C quavers in the key of C minor).
- See if you can spot some further examples of pedal notes in the set works.
Suspension
Suspension
Harmonic devices include pedal notes, suspension, modulation, and ground bass.
![Illustrative background for Suspension](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/e74400de-3998-4408-b872-149f5553a54e/three-3-number-,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
![Illustrative background for Suspension ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/e74400de-3998-4408-b872-149f5553a54e/three-3-number-,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
Suspension
Suspension
- A suspension is a special musical effect that can be used in chords.
- There are three stages to a suspension:
- Preparation.
- Suspension.
- Resolution.
![Illustrative background for Example](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/33aa9fba-4728-4f6f-8dde-8d99d9b6a33b/accordion-music-instrument-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Example ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/33aa9fba-4728-4f6f-8dde-8d99d9b6a33b/accordion-music-instrument-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Example
Example
- Let’s take this 2 chord sequence - F (FAC) to C (CEG).
- If you were to use a suspension here you would take a note which belonged to the first chord but not the second.
- So F, for instance (preparation).
- This would then be held over to the C chord (the suspension) and then would move DOWN to a note from the C chord - in this case E (the resolution).
![Illustrative background for content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2024-03/3e8d1cb4-a22f-448c-9dd7-d2495855ba60/Screenshot%202024-03-07%20201143,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
![Illustrative background for undefined ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2024-03/3e8d1cb4-a22f-448c-9dd7-d2495855ba60/Screenshot%202024-03-07%20201143,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
- It would look something like this:
![Illustrative background for Set works](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/a26b3473-f3d5-4f97-9b86-5c7e13759d0e/man-headphones-music-listen,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Set works ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/a26b3473-f3d5-4f97-9b86-5c7e13759d0e/man-headphones-music-listen,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Set works
Set works
- The set work Defying Gravity by Schwartz has many suspensions in the accompaniment.
- Try to get used to spotting suspensions by listening to them as they are not always easy to identify in a score!
Other Harmonic Devices
Other Harmonic Devices
Harmonic devices include pedal notes, suspension, modulation, and ground bass.
![Illustrative background for Ground bass](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/f8abd86f-3040-4297-ac7a-e618c053a0d8/bass-clef-music-,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
![Illustrative background for Ground bass ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/f8abd86f-3040-4297-ac7a-e618c053a0d8/bass-clef-music-,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
Ground bass
Ground bass
- A ground bass is a bass line which repeats continuously throughout a piece of music.
- Although the bass part stays the same, the music above it changes with each repetition and often includes the layering of several melodies.
![Illustrative background for Set works](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/4367f7b7-5044-43e4-a920-32d29e83803c/harp-music-instrument-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Set works ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/4367f7b7-5044-43e4-a920-32d29e83803c/harp-music-instrument-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Set works
Set works
- Ground bass was very popular in the Baroque period.
- The most famous example is Canon in D by Pachelbel.
- The set work which uses ground bass is Music For A While by Purcell.
- This uses a 3 bar ground bass made up entirely of quavers.
![Illustrative background for Modulation](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/1ee50160-4d87-4c1a-8fd0-12815b32d8da/classical-music-sheetmusic,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Modulation ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/1ee50160-4d87-4c1a-8fd0-12815b32d8da/classical-music-sheetmusic,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Modulation
Modulation
- A modulation is where a piece of music changes key, usually to change the mood or to give the music some variation.
- Modulations can be found on a score in one of two ways:
- By a change of key signature.
- Or by adding accidentals which belong to the new key.
![Illustrative background for Set works](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/5063497b-112e-4076-93cf-15314bf15e4b/sheet-music-score-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Set works ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/5063497b-112e-4076-93cf-15314bf15e4b/sheet-music-score-,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Set works
Set works
- Modulations can be found in the set works:
- A change of key signature e.g.:
- At bar 137 of the Beethoven sonata (C Minor to C Major).
- Bars 20 to 22 of Defying Gravity (B Major to F Major).
- By adding accidentals which belong to the new key e.g.:
- Bar 14 of Music for a While by Purcell (A minor to E minor - shown by the addition of an F# and D#).
1Musical Elements
2Instrumental Music 1700–1820
2.1Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major
3Vocal Music
3.1Purcell: Music for a While
4Music for Stage & Screen
4.1Schwartz: Defying Gravity
4.2Williams: Star Wars Episode IV
5Fusions
5.1Afro Celt Sound System: Release
5.2Spalding: Samba Em Preludio
Jump to other topics
1Musical Elements
2Instrumental Music 1700–1820
2.1Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major
3Vocal Music
3.1Purcell: Music for a While
4Music for Stage & Screen
4.1Schwartz: Defying Gravity
4.2Williams: Star Wars Episode IV
5Fusions
5.1Afro Celt Sound System: Release
5.2Spalding: Samba Em Preludio
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