Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Butterfly heartbeat
A quick fluttery group at the start, then a long glide to beat 4. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1a, 2, 2&, 4.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Butterfly heartbeat 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.
Root bass rhythm: Just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
Songs with Butterfly heartbeat
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Butterfly heartbeat, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Butterfly heartbeat
What is Butterfly heartbeat on piano?
A quick fluttery group at the start, then a long glide to beat 4. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1a, 2, 2&, 4, one of the root bass rhythm patterns: just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
How do I play root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 4 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), 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 Butterfly heartbeat?
It is heard in 89 songs of the library, as the main groove of 47 songs, such as I Am, Can’t Stop, Touch The Sky, Animals.
Is Butterfly heartbeat easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 96 beats a minute.