Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Gear-shift pulse
Quick even notes that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1&, 2, 2&, 3&, 4, 4&.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Gear-shift 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 Gear-shift pulse
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Gear-shift pulse, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Gear-shift pulse
What is Gear-shift pulse on piano?
Quick even notes that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1&, 2, 2&, 3&, 4, 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& · 4 · 4& with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), 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 Gear-shift pulse?
It is heard in 181 songs of the library, as the main groove of 34 songs, such as Seasons Of Love (from Rent), God Save The Queen, I Believe In A Thing Called Love, About You.
Is Gear-shift pulse easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 102 beats a minute.