Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Drowsy heartbeat
Two slow notes, then a late one that slips in before the next bar. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 3, 4&.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Drowsy 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 Drowsy heartbeat
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Drowsy heartbeat, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Drowsy heartbeat
What is Drowsy heartbeat on piano?
Two slow notes, then a late one that slips in before the next bar. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 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 · 3 · 4& with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C4 (1), then C3 (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 Drowsy heartbeat?
It is heard in 889 songs of the library, as the main groove of 46 songs, such as Tiny Dancer, Don’t Know Why, Stay With Me, Space Oddity.
Is Drowsy heartbeat easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 110 beats a minute.