Left-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Tumbling stairs down
A long root, a jump up, then quick steps tumbling down. Musicians call it walk-down 1-8-7-6-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Tumbling stairs down 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.
Walk-down: Step by step down into the next chord.
Songs with Tumbling stairs down
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Tumbling stairs down, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Tumbling stairs down
What is Tumbling stairs down on piano?
A long root, a jump up, then quick steps tumbling down. Musicians call it walk-down 1-8-7-6-5, one of the walk-down patterns: step by step down into the next chord.
How do I play walk-down 1-8-7-6-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C4 (1), then B3 (2), then A3 (3), then G3 (4); 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 Tumbling stairs down?
It is heard in 25 songs of the library, as the main groove of 1 song, such as Space Oddity, Still, Still, Still, Lullaby Of Birdland, Love And Marriage.
Is Tumbling stairs down easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.