Left-hand pattern · Lullaby boat
Pirate-ship sway
Bass, chord, bass, chord in a lilting long-short swing. Musicians call it left-hand chords (6/8).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Pirate-ship sway 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.
Left-hand chords: Small left-hand chords pushing the beat.
Songs with Pirate-ship sway
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Pirate-ship sway, from verse to chorus.
More rock & boogie
All patternsQuestions about Pirate-ship sway
What is Pirate-ship sway on piano?
Bass, chord, bass, chord in a lilting long-short swing. Musicians call it left-hand chords (6/8), one of the left-hand chords patterns: small left-hand chords pushing the beat.
How do I play lh chords (6/8) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (5) + C4 (2), then G3 (1), then B3 (5) + F4 (2); 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 Pirate-ship sway?
It is heard in 45 songs of the library, as the main groove of 12 songs, such as Are We Downhearted? No!, Fall In And Follow Me, Mister Ed, Oh! It's A Lovely War.
Is Pirate-ship sway easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 6/8, usually around 105 beats a minute.