Left-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Bobbing boat
High, higher, then a dive to the bottom and back: a bobbing boat. Musicians call it open arpeggio 8-12-1-8.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Bobbing boat 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.
Open arpeggio: The left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
Songs with Bobbing boat
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Bobbing boat, from verse to chorus.
More waves
All patternsQuestions about Bobbing boat
What is Bobbing boat on piano?
High, higher, then a dive to the bottom and back: a bobbing boat. Musicians call it open arpeggio 8-12-1-8, one of the open arpeggio patterns: the left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
How do I play open arpeggio 8-12-1-8 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C4 (1), then G4 (2), then C3 (5), 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 Bobbing boat?
It is heard in 141 songs of the library, as the main groove of 14 songs, such as I’ll Be Seeing You, Masquerade!, Pick Yourself Up, I Cover The Waterfront.
Is Bobbing boat easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 110 beats a minute.