Left-hand pattern · Waltz garden
Waltz ripple
A ripple of three notes in three-time. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Waltz ripple 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.
Broken chord: The chord, one note at a time, close together.
Songs with Waltz ripple
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Waltz ripple, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Waltz ripple
What is Waltz ripple on piano?
A ripple of three notes in three-time. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4), one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (2), 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 Waltz ripple?
It is heard in 473 songs of the library, as the main groove of 101 songs, such as Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words), Fur Elise, Primavera, Why.
Is Waltz ripple easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 3/4, usually around 110 beats a minute.