Left-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Hammering bass
The same note hammered on every quick beat, dipping only at the end. Musicians call it broken chord 8-8.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Hammering bass 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 Hammering bass
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Hammering bass, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Hammering bass
What is Hammering bass on piano?
The same note hammered on every quick beat, dipping only at the end. Musicians call it broken chord 8-8, one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 8-8 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C4 (2), then C4 (2), then C4 (2), then C4 (2), then C4 (2), then C4 (2), 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 Hammering bass?
It is heard in 280 songs of the library, as the main groove of 17 songs, such as Applause, Hold On Loosely, Girlfriend, Pretzel Logic.
Is Hammering bass easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 108 beats a minute.