Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Sleepy heartbeat
One long note, then a soft double tap in the second half. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 3, 3&.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Sleepy heartbeat 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 Sleepy heartbeat
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Sleepy heartbeat, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Sleepy heartbeat
What is Sleepy heartbeat on piano?
One long note, then a soft double tap in the second half. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 3, 3&, 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 · 3 · 3& with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), 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 Sleepy heartbeat?
It is heard in 314 songs of the library, as the main groove of 71 songs, such as Smooth Criminal, You’re Still The One, I Don’t Know How To Love Him, Lord, I Need You.
Is Sleepy heartbeat easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 96 beats a minute.