Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Skippy stairs up
Three steps up, then a small hop higher, into the next chord. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Skippy stairs up 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.
Walk-up: Step by step up into the next chord.
Songs with Skippy stairs up
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Skippy stairs up, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Skippy stairs up
What is Skippy stairs up on piano?
Three steps up, then a small hop higher, into the next chord. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-5, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 1-2-3-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then D3 (4), then E3 (2), 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 Skippy stairs up?
It is heard in 256 songs of the library, as the main groove of 24 songs, such as Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words), The Pink Panther, Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town, Wonderful Tonight.
Is Skippy stairs up easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 125 beats a minute.