Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Pausing footsteps
Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 2, 3.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Pausing footsteps 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 bass rhythm: Just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
Songs with Pausing footsteps
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Pausing footsteps, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Pausing footsteps
What is Pausing footsteps on piano?
Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 2, 3, one of the root bass rhythm patterns: just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
How do I play root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (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 Pausing footsteps?
It is heard in thousands of songs of the library, as the main groove of 186 songs, such as Beat It, Million Reasons, My Girl, Thank You.
Is Pausing footsteps easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 118 beats a minute.