Left-hand pattern · Old-time stride
Polka oom-pah
One bass note and three quick chords: a bouncy polka. Musicians call it bass + chords (2/4).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Polka oom-pah 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.
Stride & boom-chick: A deep bass note, then a chord. The left hand jumps. In 4/4 it is played twice a bar.
Songs with Polka oom-pah
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Polka oom-pah, from verse to chorus.
More bounce & stride
All patternsQuestions about Polka oom-pah
What is Polka oom-pah on piano?
One bass note and three quick chords: a bouncy polka. Musicians call it bass + chords (2/4), one of the stride & boom-chick patterns: a deep bass note, then a chord. the left hand jumps.
How do I play bass + chords (2/4) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then E3 (3) + G3 (1), then E3 (3) + G3 (1), then E3 (3) + G3 (1), then C3 (5), then E3 (3) + G3 (1), 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 Polka oom-pah?
It is heard in 86 songs of the library, as the main groove of 19 songs, such as Rondo Alla Turca (Finale), Krakowiak (Darling Maiden, Hark, I Ask Thee), Six Months Out Of The Year, So Deep Is The Night.
Is Polka oom-pah easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 2/4, usually around 90 beats a minute.