Left-hand pattern · Film & wonder
Thunder tremolo
An octave shaking fast: thunder and suspense. Musicians call it octave tremolo.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Thunder tremolo 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.
Tremolo: Two notes shaking fast: drama and suspense.
Songs with Thunder tremolo
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Thunder tremolo, from verse to chorus.
More murmur & thunder
All patternsQuestions about Thunder tremolo
What is Thunder tremolo on piano?
An octave shaking fast: thunder and suspense. Musicians call it octave tremolo, one of the tremolo patterns: two notes shaking fast: drama and suspense.
How do I play octave tremolo with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C4 (1), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), and so on; 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 Thunder tremolo?
It is heard in 150 songs of the library, as the main groove of 74 songs, such as Alejandro, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Best Day Of My Life.
Is Thunder tremolo easy?
It is a tricky pattern, in 4/4, usually around 92 beats a minute.