Super Simple Chords

Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat

Pony-trot pulse

Quick trotting notes, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1&, 2, 2&, 3&, 4.

Left handMedium4/4About 104 BPMIn 114 songs
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How Pony-trot pulse 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 Pony-trot pulse

Each one opens with this pattern in its player.

Often comes next

The patterns songs move to after Pony-trot pulse, from verse to chorus.

More heartbeats

All patterns

Questions about Pony-trot pulse

What is Pony-trot pulse on piano?

Quick trotting notes, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1&, 2, 2&, 3&, 4, 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 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 with the left hand?

Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), then 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 Pony-trot pulse?

It is heard in 114 songs of the library, as the main groove of 31 songs, such as Auld Lang Syne, Runaway (U&I), Here I Am, Boss Of Me.

Is Pony-trot pulse easy?

It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 104 beats a minute.