Right-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Dripping tap
A soft chord, then the same note dripping steadily, drop by drop. Musicians call it chord + repeated 5th.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Dripping tap 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.
Two-note ostinato: Two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
Songs with Dripping tap
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Dripping tap, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Dripping tap
What is Dripping tap on piano?
A soft chord, then the same note dripping steadily, drop by drop. Musicians call it chord + repeated 5th, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play chord + repeated 5th with the right hand?
Over C major it is C4 (1) + E4 (3), then G4 (5), then G4 (5), then G4 (5), then G4 (5), then G4 (5); 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 Dripping tap?
It is heard in 43 songs of the library, such as Where Were You, Heart Like Mine, Ich Bin Dafür, Like A Cowboy.
Is Dripping tap easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.