Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Racing stairs up
Quick steps up, then two hops all the way to the octave. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-5-8.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Racing stairs up 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.
Walk-up: Step by step up into the next chord.
Songs with Racing stairs up
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Racing stairs up, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Racing stairs up
What is Racing stairs up on piano?
Quick steps up, then two hops all the way to the octave. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-5-8, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 1-2-3-5-8 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then D3 (4), then E3 (3), then G3 (2), 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 Racing stairs up?
It is heard in 19 songs of the library, such as Blue Skies, All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, Valentine, O Christmas Tree.
Is Racing stairs up easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 108 beats a minute.