Left-hand pattern · Bossa beach
Patient seesaw
Three low notes wait their turn, then one step up on beat 4. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-1-1-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Patient seesaw 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.
Root–fifth bass: Two notes taking turns: the classic country and folk bass.
Songs with Patient seesaw
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Patient seesaw, from verse to chorus.
More two-step bass
All patternsQuestions about Patient seesaw
What is Patient seesaw on piano?
Three low notes wait their turn, then one step up on beat 4. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-1-1-5, one of the root–fifth bass patterns: two notes taking turns: the classic country and folk bass.
How do I play root–fifth 1-1-1-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), 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 Patient seesaw?
It is heard in 195 songs of the library, as the main groove of 16 songs, such as Take That Look Off Your Face, Don’t Let The Rain Come Down, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, Holding Back The Years.
Is Patient seesaw easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.