Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Stair steps
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Stair steps 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.
Broken chord: The chord, one note at a time, close together.
Songs with Stair steps
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Stair steps, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Stair steps
What is Stair steps on piano?
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5, one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 1-3-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then E3 (3), 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 Stair steps?
It is heard in 438 songs of the library, as the main groove of 115 songs, such as Part Of Your World, Under The Sea, Fever, Feliz Navidad.
Is Stair steps easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.