Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Chugging-train pulse
Chugs along in quick even notes, then takes one tiny breath at the end. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1&, 2, 2&, 3, 3&, 4.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Chugging-train pulse 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 Chugging-train pulse
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Chugging-train pulse, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Chugging-train pulse
What is Chugging-train pulse on piano?
Chugs along in quick even notes, then takes one tiny breath at the end. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1&, 2, 2&, 3, 3&, 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 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (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 Chugging-train pulse?
It is heard in 629 songs of the library, as the main groove of 36 songs, such as Best Of My Love, From The Inside Out, I Don’t Care, Run.
Is Chugging-train pulse easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 113 beats a minute.