Right-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Lighthouse blink
A note and the one above flash in turn, steady as a lighthouse. Musicians call it two-note ostinato 5-8.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Lighthouse blink 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 Lighthouse blink
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Lighthouse blink, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Lighthouse blink
What is Lighthouse blink on piano?
A note and the one above flash in turn, steady as a lighthouse. Musicians call it two-note ostinato 5-8, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play two-note ostinato 5-8 with the right hand?
Over C major it is G4 (1), then C5 (4), then G4 (1), then C5 (4), then G4 (1), then C5 (4), 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 Lighthouse blink?
It is heard in 84 songs of the library, as the main groove of 5 songs, such as Just A Dream, Not About Angels, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, The River Of Dreams.
Is Lighthouse blink easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 104 beats a minute.