Right-hand pattern · Rock drive
Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. Musicians call it repeated-note pulse.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Ticking clock 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.
Repeated-note pulse: One note repeating like a ticking clock.
Songs with Ticking clock
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Ticking clock, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Ticking clock
What is Ticking clock on piano?
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. Musicians call it repeated-note pulse, one of the repeated-note pulse patterns: one note repeating like a ticking clock.
How do I play repeated-note pulse with the right hand?
Over C major it is C4 (1), then C4 (1), then C4 (1), then C4 (1), then C4 (1), 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 Ticking clock?
It is heard in thousands of songs of the library, as the main groove of 111 songs, such as What A Wonderful World, Fix You, Poker Face, Chandelier.
Is Ticking clock easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 117 beats a minute.