A Pedal Tone Provides Stability
by Gary Ewer, from”The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website:
Pedal tones in chord progressions can be very useful, particularly if you’re looking to use more chromatically complicated chords. That constant pedal (i.e., a low note that stays the same while the chords above it are changing) acts as a kind of anchor, helping the listener make sense of complex changes. The progressions below will work best in slower tempo songs. If you want to use them in an up-tempo song, experiment to find the tempo that works best; too quickly, and your song will have a bit of a frantic feel.
(If you’re looking for more progressions(as in pages and pages of progressions), check out Gary’s e-books.)
Remember that the note after the slash is the one that should be the lowest-sounding note of the chord. Without the pedal, the progressions will be a bit harder for the listener to make sense of them:
i) C B/C Ddim/C C
This progression requires you to keep the note C in the bass for all four chords. The first and last chord are simply C major chords. The second chord is a B major chord (B-D#-F#) with a C in the bass. It then moves to a D diminished chord (by having the D# move to D and the F# move to F.)
ii) C/G E/G Bbm/G G7(#5) C
iii) F E/F Gm/F Db/F C/F F
iv) E/A F/A G/A D/A C/A B/A Bb/A A
v) F/C G/C B/C C
