Left-hand pattern · Waltz garden
Lapping waves
A low note, then a high pair rocking like small waves in a waltz. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5-10-5 (3/4).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Lapping waves 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.
Open arpeggio: The left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
Songs with Lapping waves
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Lapping waves, from verse to chorus.
More waves
All patternsQuestions about Lapping waves
What is Lapping waves on piano?
A low note, then a high pair rocking like small waves in a waltz. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5-10-5 (3/4), one of the open arpeggio patterns: the left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
How do I play open arpeggio 1-5-10-5-10-5 (3/4) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (1), then E4 (2), then G3 (1), then E4 (2), then G3 (1); 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 Lapping waves?
It is heard in 74 songs of the library, as the main groove of 23 songs, such as Annie’s Song, Happy Xmas, Let Us Break Bread Together, Black Velvet Band.
Is Lapping waves easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 3/4, usually around 105 beats a minute.