Left-hand pattern · Bossa beach
Galloping seesaw
Low-high-high, low-high-high with a push: busy and bright. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5-1.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Galloping seesaw 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–fifth bass: Two notes taking turns: the classic country and folk bass.
Songs with Galloping seesaw
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Galloping seesaw, from verse to chorus.
More two-step bass
All patternsQuestions about Galloping seesaw
What is Galloping seesaw on piano?
Low-high-high, low-high-high with a push: busy and bright. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5-1, one of the root–fifth bass patterns: two notes taking turns: the classic country and folk bass.
How do I play root–fifth 1-5-5-1 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (1), then G3 (1), then C3 (5), then G3 (1), then G3 (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 Galloping seesaw?
It is heard in 61 songs of the library, as the main groove of 9 songs, such as This Is The Day (A Wedding Song), Scarlet Ribbons, Not Forgotten, Silent Night.
Is Galloping seesaw easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 90 beats a minute.