Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Island pulse
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass, tresillo 3-3-2.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Island 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 Island pulse
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Island pulse, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Island pulse
What is Island pulse on piano?
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass, tresillo 3-3-2, 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 · tresillo 3-3-2 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), 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 Island pulse?
It is heard in thousands of songs of the library, as the main groove of 489 songs, such as All Of Me, Dancing Queen, A Thousand Miles, Stand By Me.
Is Island pulse easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 117 beats a minute.