Left-hand pattern · Blues & boogie
Seesaw bass
Low, higher, low, higher on every beat: a steady seesaw. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-1-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Seesaw bass 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–fifth bass: Two notes taking turns: the classic country and folk bass.
Songs with Seesaw bass
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Seesaw bass, from verse to chorus.
More two-step bass
All patternsQuestions about Seesaw bass
What is Seesaw bass on piano?
Low, higher, low, higher on every beat: a steady seesaw. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-1-5, one of the root–fifth bass patterns: two notes taking turns: the classic country and folk bass.
How do I play root–fifth 1-5-1-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (1), then C3 (5), then G3 (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 Seesaw bass?
It is heard in 481 songs of the library, as the main groove of 171 songs, such as Let Her Go, For The First Time In Forever (from Frozen), Jolene, For All We Know.
Is Seesaw bass easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 114 beats a minute.