Left-hand pattern · Lullaby boat
Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Swelling 6/8 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.
Open arpeggio: The left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
Songs with Swelling 6/8
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Swelling 6/8, from verse to chorus.
More waves
All patternsQuestions about Swelling 6/8
What is Swelling 6/8 on piano?
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), one of the open arpeggio patterns: the left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
How do I play open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (2), then C4 (1), then E4 (2), then C4 (1), then G3 (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 Swelling 6/8?
It is heard in 73 songs of the library, as the main groove of 56 songs, such as O Holy Night, Hallelujah, Nothing Else Matters, Come Sail Away.
Is Swelling 6/8 easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 6/8, usually around 81 beats a minute.