Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass in quarters.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Walking roots 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 Walking roots
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Walking roots, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Walking roots
What is Walking roots on piano?
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass in quarters, 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 · quarters with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), then C4 (1); 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 Walking roots?
It is heard in thousands of songs of the library, as the main groove of 775 songs, such as Ave Maria, Let It Be, All I Want For Christmas Is You, Wonderwall.
Is Walking roots easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 104 beats a minute.