Left-hand pattern · Old-time stride
Springboard stairs
From the fifth, a jump to the root, then two steps up. Musicians call it walk-up 5-1-2-3.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Springboard stairs 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 Springboard stairs
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Springboard stairs, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Springboard stairs
What is Springboard stairs on piano?
From the fifth, a jump to the root, then two steps up. Musicians call it walk-up 5-1-2-3, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 5-1-2-3 with the left hand?
Over C major it is G3 (1), then C3 (5), then D3 (4), then E3 (2); 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 Springboard stairs?
It is heard in 48 songs of the library, such as A Spoonful Of Sugar, Top Of The World, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren), We Need A Little Christmas.
Is Springboard stairs easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.