Right-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Tap-and-nudge
Waits a beat, taps the root five times, then nudges one step up. Musicians call it repeated root → 2nd.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Tap-and-nudge 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-nudge
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Tap-and-nudge, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Tap-and-nudge
What is Tap-and-nudge on piano?
Waits a beat, taps the root five times, then nudges one step up. Musicians call it repeated root → 2nd, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play repeated root → 2nd with the right hand?
Over C major it is C4 (1), then C4 (1), then C4 (1), then C4 (1), then C4 (1), then D4 (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-nudge?
It is heard in 22 songs of the library, such as It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, Dancing In The Dark, The Candy Man, Endless Sleep.
Is Tap-and-nudge easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 128 beats a minute.