Left-hand pattern · Waltz garden
Waltz rocking
Three quick notes up to the top, then one long note back down. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Waltz rocking 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 rocking
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Waltz rocking, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Waltz rocking
What is Waltz rocking on piano?
Three quick notes up to the top, then one long note back down. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4), one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (2), then C4 (1), then G3 (2); 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 rocking?
It is heard in 70 songs of the library, as the main groove of 19 songs, such as Morning Has Broken, Be Thou My Vision, Cliffs Of Doneen, Faith Unlocks The Door.
Is Waltz rocking easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 3/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.