Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Stumbling footsteps
Steady steps with one tiny stumble right before beat 3. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 2, 2a, 3, 4.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Stumbling footsteps 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 Stumbling footsteps
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Stumbling footsteps, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Stumbling footsteps
What is Stumbling footsteps on piano?
Steady steps with one tiny stumble right before beat 3. Musicians call it root bass on beats 1, 2, 2a, 3, 4, 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 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 4 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C4 (1), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), 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 Stumbling footsteps?
It is heard in 146 songs of the library, as the main groove of 47 songs, such as The Stranger, Faithfully, Talking To The Moon, All Because Of Jesus.
Is Stumbling footsteps easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 88 beats a minute.