Left-hand pattern · Classical salon
Little steps
Up the chord and back, one step at a time. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-3.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Little steps 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 Little steps
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Little steps, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Little steps
What is Little steps on piano?
Up the chord and back, one step at a time. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-3, one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 1-3-5-3 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then E3 (3), then G3 (1), then E3 (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 Little steps?
It is heard in 304 songs of the library, as the main groove of 87 songs, such as Lullaby, In My Life, Eight Days A Week, I Have A Dream.
Is Little steps easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.