Right-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Knock-and-peek
The same note knocks five times, then peeks one step higher. Musicians call it repeated 5th → 6th.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Knock-and-peek 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.
Two-note ostinato: Two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
Songs with Knock-and-peek
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Knock-and-peek, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Knock-and-peek
What is Knock-and-peek on piano?
The same note knocks five times, then peeks one step higher. Musicians call it repeated 5th → 6th, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play repeated 5th → 6th with the right hand?
Over C major it is G4 (1), then G4 (1), then G4 (1), then G4 (1), then G4 (1), then A4 (3); 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 Knock-and-peek?
It is heard in 31 songs of the library, such as Bad Blood, Blame It On The Girls, Chip ’n Dale’s Rescue Rangers Theme Song, Cinnamon Girl.
Is Knock-and-peek easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 129 beats a minute.