Left-hand pattern · Film & wonder
Big sweep
Two octaves in one sweep: the film-score sound. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Big sweep 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.
Wide arpeggio: A big sweep over two octaves: the film-score sound.
Songs with Big sweep
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Big sweep, from verse to chorus.
More waves
All patternsQuestions about Big sweep
What is Big sweep on piano?
Two octaves in one sweep: the film-score sound. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8, one of the wide arpeggio patterns: a big sweep over two octaves: the film-score sound.
How do I play wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C4 (5), then G4 (2), then C5 (1), then C3 (5), then G3 (2), then C4 (1); 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 Big sweep?
It is heard in 131 songs of the library, as the main groove of 10 songs, such as I Will, People Need The Lord, Somewhere, Count Every Star.
Is Big sweep easy?
It is a tricky pattern, in 4/4, usually around 84 beats a minute.