Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Stairs-and-leap
Two steps up, then a big leap to the octave. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-8.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Stairs-and-leap 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 Stairs-and-leap
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Stairs-and-leap, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Stairs-and-leap
What is Stairs-and-leap on piano?
Two steps up, then a big leap to the octave. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-8, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 1-2-3-8 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then D3 (4), then E3 (2), then C4 (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 Stairs-and-leap?
It is heard in 32 songs of the library, such as I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Killer Queen, You Make Me Feel So Young, O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles).
Is Stairs-and-leap easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.