Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Up-and-back stairs
Two steps up, then one step back, gently leading on. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-2.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Up-and-back stairs 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-up: Step by step up into the next chord.
Songs with Up-and-back stairs
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Up-and-back stairs, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Up-and-back stairs
What is Up-and-back stairs on piano?
Two steps up, then one step back, gently leading on. Musicians call it walk-up 1-2-3-2, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 1-2-3-2 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then D3 (4), then E3 (1), then D3 (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 Up-and-back stairs?
It is heard in 66 songs of the library, as the main groove of 4 songs, such as I'm Beginning To See The Light, Lover, Come Back To Me, Ride, King Of New York.
Is Up-and-back stairs easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.