Right-hand pattern · Blues & boogie
Offbeat skank
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. Musicians call it offbeat chords, offbeats (&s).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Offbeat skank 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.
Offbeat chords: Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing.
Songs with Offbeat skank
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Offbeat skank, from verse to chorus.
More pushing chords
All patternsQuestions about Offbeat skank
What is Offbeat skank on piano?
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. Musicians call it offbeat chords, offbeats (&s), one of the offbeat chords patterns: chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing.
How do I play offbeat chords · offbeats (&s) with the right hand?
Over C major it is E4 (1) + G4 (2) + Bb4 (4) + C5 (5), then E4 (1) + G4 (2) + Bb4 (4) + C5 (5), then E4 (1) + G4 (2) + Bb4 (4) + C5 (5), then E4 (1) + G4 (2) + Bb4 (4) + C5 (5); 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 Offbeat skank?
It is heard in 844 songs of the library, as the main groove of 166 songs, such as Defying Gravity (from the Broadway Musical Wicked), Budapest, Titanium, Honesty.
Is Offbeat skank easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.