Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Up-and-drop stairs
Two steps up, then a drop down to the fifth. Musicians call it walk-up 8-9-10-5.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Up-and-drop 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-drop stairs
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Up-and-drop stairs, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Up-and-drop stairs
What is Up-and-drop stairs on piano?
Two steps up, then a drop down to the fifth. Musicians call it walk-up 8-9-10-5, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 8-9-10-5 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C4 (3), then D4 (2), then E4 (1), then G3 (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 Up-and-drop stairs?
It is heard in 30 songs of the library, as the main groove of 1 song, such as The Pink Panther, Easy Street, Just Friends, Rock Around The Clock.
Is Up-and-drop stairs easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 132 beats a minute.