Right-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Tap-and-hop
One note taps five times, then hops up to the next chord note. Musicians call it repeated 3rd → 5th.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Tap-and-hop 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.
Two-note ostinato: Two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
Songs with Tap-and-hop
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Tap-and-hop, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Tap-and-hop
What is Tap-and-hop on piano?
One note taps five times, then hops up to the next chord note. Musicians call it repeated 3rd → 5th, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play repeated 3rd → 5th with the right hand?
Over C major it is E4 (1), then E4 (1), then E4 (1), then E4 (1), then E4 (1), then G4 (3); 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 Tap-and-hop?
It is heard in 18 songs of the library, such as A Man Without Love, Call You Tonight, Everybody Hates Me, Vocal.
Is Tap-and-hop easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 114 beats a minute.