Right-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Rocking thirds
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. Musicians call it two-note ostinato 3-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Rocking thirds 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.
Two-note ostinato: Two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
Songs with Rocking thirds
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Rocking thirds, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Rocking thirds
What is Rocking thirds on piano?
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. Musicians call it two-note ostinato 3-5, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play two-note ostinato 3-5 with the right hand?
Over C major it is E4 (1), then G4 (3), then E4 (1), then G4 (3), then E4 (1), then G4 (3), 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 Rocking thirds?
It is heard in 133 songs of the library, as the main groove of 2 songs, such as Over The Rainbow, Lovely, Cry Me A River, Ride.
Is Rocking thirds easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 116 beats a minute.