Right-hand pattern · Lullaby boat
Tug-of-war chords
Four even chords stretched across a rocking bar: a gentle push and pull. Musicians call it syncopated chords on beats 1, 1+, 2, 2+ (6/8).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Tug-of-war chords 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.
Syncopated chords: Chords that land between the beats: that pop push.
Songs with Tug-of-war chords
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Tug-of-war chords, from verse to chorus.
More pushing chords
All patternsQuestions about Tug-of-war chords
What is Tug-of-war chords on piano?
Four even chords stretched across a rocking bar: a gentle push and pull. Musicians call it syncopated chords on beats 1, 1+, 2, 2+ (6/8), one of the syncopated chords patterns: chords that land between the beats: that pop push.
How do I play syncopated chords · 1 · 1+ · 2 · 2+ (6/8) with the right hand?
Over C major it is E4 (1) + G4 (2) + C5 (5), then E4 (1) + G4 (2) + C5 (5), then E4 (1) + G4 (2) + C5 (5), then E4 (1) + G4 (2) + C5 (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 Tug-of-war chords?
It is heard in 64 songs of the library, as the main groove of 14 songs, such as I Won’t Give Up, Good Good Father, Lord Most High, Run To You.
Is Tug-of-war chords easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 6/8, usually around 83 beats a minute.