Left-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Round-trip ripple
Climbs to the octave and comes straight back home, then rests. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5-1.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Round-trip ripple 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.
Broken chord: The chord, one note at a time, close together.
Songs with Round-trip ripple
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Round-trip ripple, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Round-trip ripple
What is Round-trip ripple on piano?
Climbs to the octave and comes straight back home, then rests. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5-1, one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 1-5-8-5-1 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (2), then C4 (1), then G3 (2), then C3 (5); 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 Round-trip ripple?
It is heard in 123 songs of the library, as the main groove of 14 songs, such as Fairest Lord Jesus, Joseph’s Lullaby, Amazed, Be Still And Know.
Is Round-trip ripple easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 88 beats a minute.