Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Step-back stairs up
Starts on the third, drops to the root, then steps back up. Musicians call it walk-up 3-1-2-3.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Step-back 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 Step-back stairs up
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Step-back stairs up, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Step-back stairs up
What is Step-back stairs up on piano?
Starts on the third, drops to the root, then steps back up. Musicians call it walk-up 3-1-2-3, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 3-1-2-3 with the left hand?
Over C major it is E3 (1), then C3 (5), then D3 (4), then E3 (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 Step-back stairs up?
It is heard in 23 songs of the library, such as Stompin' At The Savoy, If You Were Gay, Dominique, Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist.
Is Step-back stairs up easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.