Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Upside-down pulse
Every note lands between the beats, so it bounces like reggae. Musicians call it root bass, offbeats (&s).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Upside-down pulse 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.
Root bass rhythm: Just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
Songs with Upside-down pulse
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Upside-down pulse, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Upside-down pulse
What is Upside-down pulse on piano?
Every note lands between the beats, so it bounces like reggae. Musicians call it root bass, offbeats (&s), one of the root bass rhythm patterns: just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
How do I play root bass · offbeats (&s) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), 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 Upside-down pulse?
It is heard in 176 songs of the library, as the main groove of 34 songs, such as Anything You Can Do, Alive, Candy, Cadillac Car.
Is Upside-down pulse easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.