Left-hand pattern · Waltz garden
Waltz ladder
Three notes step up toward the next root, one per waltz beat. Musicians call it walk-up 5-6-7 (3/4).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Waltz ladder 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 Waltz ladder
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Waltz ladder, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Waltz ladder
What is Waltz ladder on piano?
Three notes step up toward the next root, one per waltz beat. Musicians call it walk-up 5-6-7 (3/4), one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 5-6-7 (3/4) with the left hand?
Over C major it is G3 (5), then A3 (4), then B3 (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 Waltz ladder?
It is heard in 43 songs of the library, as the main groove of 1 song, such as Wings, Gesu Bambino (The Infant Jesus), El Paso, Hello Darlin’.
Is Waltz ladder easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 3/4, usually around 130 beats a minute.