Right-hand pattern · Rock drive
Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. Musicians call it pumping 8th chords.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Pumping chords 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.
Pumping 8ths: Chords on every eighth note: the rock engine.
Songs with Pumping chords
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Pumping chords, from verse to chorus.
More pushing chords
All patternsQuestions about Pumping chords
What is Pumping chords on piano?
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. Musicians call it pumping 8th chords, one of the pumping 8ths patterns: chords on every eighth note: the rock engine.
How do I play pumping 8th chords with the right hand?
Over C major it is G4 (1) + C5 (3) + E5 (5), then G4 (1) + C5 (3) + E5 (5), then G4 (1) + C5 (3) + E5 (5), then G4 (1) + C5 (3) + E5 (5), then G4 (1) + C5 (3) + E5 (5), then G4 (1) + C5 (3) + E5 (5), 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 Pumping chords?
It is heard in thousands of songs of the library, as the main groove of 482 songs, such as You'll Be In My Heart (Pop Version) (from Tarzan), Part Of Your World, Last Christmas, Firework.
Is Pumping chords easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 112 beats a minute.