Left-hand pattern · Film & wonder
Ocean swell
Eight notes rise high and fall back down: one big ocean swell per bar. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12-10-8-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Ocean swell 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 Ocean swell
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Ocean swell, from verse to chorus.
More waves
All patternsQuestions about Ocean swell
What is Ocean swell on piano?
Eight notes rise high and fall back down: one big ocean swell per bar. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12-10-8-5, 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 1-5-8-10-12-10-8-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (2), then C4 (1), then E4 (3), then G4 (2), then E4 (3), 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 Ocean swell?
It is heard in 80 songs of the library, as the main groove of 15 songs, such as Black Hole Sun (from Westworld), Because, Forever In Love, Gale's Theme (Main Title).
Is Ocean swell easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.