Left-hand pattern · Blues & boogie
Rock’n’roll rocker
The left hand rocks between two shapes, straight out of the 1950s. Musicians call it rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Rock’n’roll rocker 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.
Boogie & shuffle: Rock’n’roll: the left hand rocks between two shapes.
Songs with Rock’n’roll rocker
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Rock’n’roll rocker, from verse to chorus.
More rock & boogie
All patternsQuestions about Rock’n’roll rocker
What is Rock’n’roll rocker on piano?
The left hand rocks between two shapes, straight out of the 1950s. Musicians call it rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle, one of the boogie & shuffle patterns: rock’n’roll: the left hand rocks between two shapes.
How do I play rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5) + G3 (2), then C3 (5) + G3 (2), then C3 (5) + A3 (1), then C3 (5) + A3 (1), then C3 (5) + G3 (2), then C3 (5) + G3 (2), 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 Rock’n’roll rocker?
It is heard in 262 songs of the library, as the main groove of 102 songs, such as Georgia On My Mind, Great Balls Of Fire, Jingle Bells, Come Together.
Is Rock’n’roll rocker easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 110 beats a minute.