Is it technically correct to consider the following chord progression a use of the Embellishing (Pedal) 6/4?
I am currently enrolled in a Music Theory class, and today we were doing drills on the three different uses of the 2nd Inversion on Primary Triads. For the Embellishing 6/4 in Bb Major, I constructed the following:
S. F5,G5,D5
A. Bb4,Bb4,Bb4
T. D4,Eb4,F4
B. Bb3,Bb3,Bb3
After showing this to the instructor, I was informed that although the chords and voice leading is correct, it isn't exactly an Embellishing gesture. I understand that two voices, including the Bass, should hold the tonic note as part of the "Pedal," but why am I led to believe that the voices in motion are restricted to parallel stepwise motion? Is it simply to provide easy access to less stressful voice leading considerations?
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First, from your use of a G-flat, I'm going to assume this is intended to be in E-flat minor (with a V-i6/4-V progression) rather than B-flat major. (Please correct me if I've made an inappropriate assumption.)
In your case, I would say that, yes, if one had to label this chord, it could be considered a "pedal" 6/4. But the voice-leading is not correct, at least according to classical procedures. Namely, the fourth above the bass in classical harmony is treated as a dissonance and almost always resolves down by step, which your tenor line does not do. Furthermore, the soprano leaps down by diminished fourth, which is a rare interval (again often avoided in classical four-part harmony except for special effect).
Although I might call this an incorrectly resolved "pedal 6/4", I can see why the instructor might hesitate with the term "embellishing chord" that usually implies a harmony that just connects two other chords smoothly using standard voice-leading procedures. For a pedal 6/4, the standard embellishing gesture is to have the two upper voices in motion act as neighbor tones. Sometimes the one voice can do a passing tone instead between the seventh and fifth of a dominant seventh harmony (e.g., if your upper voice moved F-Gb-Ab instead or the reverse Ab-Gb-F).
Rather than simply connecting the harmonies of the first and third chords, the prominent leap in the melody voice using an unusual interval (diminished fourth) makes the middle chord sound more significant, which is why I assume the instructor said it wasn't just an "embellishing" chord.
EDIT: I see you changed the G-flat to G-natural now in the question. Well, now the diminished fourth is not there to be awkward, but the voice-leading is still awkward compared to the standard voice-leading for pedal 6/4 chords I described in the third paragraph above. The leap down from G to D is still going to make this voice stand out from the texture more.
Another way to think of it is that "embellishing chords" are not often thought of as chords in their own right -- the notes that make them up are often approached and left by step as they are considered "dissonant" with the prevailing harmony (in this case, the B-flat major chord).
The second and third chords of your example would work fine as the start of a I6/4 V I cadence in Eb.
But to my ears, the Gb-D progression throws off the feeling that it is just an embellishment of a Bb major chord. The leap onto the D makes it sound like the D wants to resolve onto something else.
You always need to be careful about a I IV progression, because it will sound like a V I cadence in the subdominant key whenever it gets the opportunity!
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