Right-hand pattern · Slow dance ’50s
Doo-wop chords
Three soft chords on every slow beat: the classic 1950s ballad sound. Musicians call it pumping 8th chords (12/8).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Doo-wop chords 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.
Pumping 8ths: Chords on every eighth note: the rock engine.
Songs with Doo-wop chords
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Doo-wop chords, from verse to chorus.
More pushing chords
All patternsQuestions about Doo-wop chords
What is Doo-wop chords on piano?
Three soft chords on every slow beat: the classic 1950s ballad sound. Musicians call it pumping 8th chords (12/8), one of the pumping 8ths patterns: chords on every eighth note: the rock engine.
How do I play pumping 8th chords (12/8) with the right hand?
Over C major it is C5 (1) + E5 (3), then C5 (1) + E5 (3), then C5 (1) + E5 (3), then C5 (1) + E5 (3), then C5 (1) + E5 (3), then C5 (1) + E5 (3), 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 Doo-wop chords?
It is heard in 50 songs of the library, as the main groove of 12 songs, such as It Takes Two, Are You Sincere, Donna, Happy, Happy Birthday Baby.
Is Doo-wop chords easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 12/8, usually around 102 beats a minute.