Right-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Beacon blink
The root and a higher note blink on and off, calm and clear. Musicians call it two-note ostinato 1-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Beacon blink goes
One bar over a C chord: a row for each key, a column for each step, the finger on each note. Over another chord, move the same shape to its root.
Two-note ostinato: Two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
Songs with Beacon blink
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Beacon blink, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Beacon blink
What is Beacon blink on piano?
The root and a higher note blink on and off, calm and clear. Musicians call it two-note ostinato 1-5, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play two-note ostinato 1-5 with the right hand?
Over C major it is C4 (1), then G4 (5), then C4 (1), then G4 (5), then C4 (1), then G4 (5), and so on; the number after each note is the finger (1 is the thumb). Over any other chord, move the same shape to that chord's root.
What songs use Beacon blink?
It is heard in 24 songs of the library, as the main groove of 1 song, such as Chasing Cars, Rain, Breathless, Growing Up (feat. Ed Sheeran).
Is Beacon blink easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 105 beats a minute.