Left-hand pattern · Old-time stride
Toy-soldier march
A bright two-note chord, then the low root: a toy soldier’s left-right. Musicians call it left-hand triads (2/4).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Toy-soldier march 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.
Left-hand chords: Small left-hand chords pushing the beat. In 4/4 it is played twice a bar.
Songs with Toy-soldier march
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Toy-soldier march, from verse to chorus.
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All patternsQuestions about Toy-soldier march
What is Toy-soldier march on piano?
A bright two-note chord, then the low root: a toy soldier’s left-right. Musicians call it left-hand triads (2/4), one of the left-hand chords patterns: small left-hand chords pushing the beat.
How do I play lh triads (2/4) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C4 (5) + E4 (3), then C3 (5), then C4 (5) + E4 (3), then C3 (5); 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 Toy-soldier march?
It is heard in 205 songs of the library, as the main groove of 29 songs, such as Stepsisters' Lament, The Sweetest Sounds, You’re A Grand Old Flag, Down To The River To Pray.
Is Toy-soldier march easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 2/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.