Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Rush-and-step pulse
Three quick notes tumble out, a pause, then one high step on beat 4. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1a, 2&, 4.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Rush-and-step pulse 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.
Root bass rhythm: Just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
Songs with Rush-and-step pulse
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Rush-and-step pulse, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Rush-and-step pulse
What is Rush-and-step pulse on piano?
Three quick notes tumble out, a pause, then one high step on beat 4. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 1a, 2&, 4, one of the root bass rhythm patterns: just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
How do I play root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 4 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), 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 Rush-and-step pulse?
It is heard in 157 songs of the library, as the main groove of 51 songs, such as I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Drive, I Will Follow, Live While We're Young.
Is Rush-and-step pulse easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.