Left-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Gentle rocking
Root, fifth, octave, fifth: the gentle rocking under countless pop ballads. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Gentle rocking 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.
Broken chord: The chord, one note at a time, close together.
Songs with Gentle rocking
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Gentle rocking, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Gentle rocking
What is Gentle rocking on piano?
Root, fifth, octave, fifth: the gentle rocking under countless pop ballads. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5, one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 1-5-8-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (2), then C4 (1), then G3 (2); 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 Gentle rocking?
It is heard in 696 songs of the library, as the main groove of 138 songs, such as River, Love Changes Everything (from Aspects of Love), Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Blowin’ In The Wind.
Is Gentle rocking easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 105 beats a minute.