Left-hand pattern · Waltz garden
Waltzing river
Flows up five notes with a little step near the top, in three. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10 (3/4).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Waltzing river 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.
Open arpeggio: The left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
Songs with Waltzing river
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Waltzing river, from verse to chorus.
More waves
All patternsQuestions about Waltzing river
What is Waltzing river on piano?
Flows up five notes with a little step near the top, in three. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10 (3/4), one of the open arpeggio patterns: the left hand rolls up through the chord and back, like a wave.
How do I play open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10 (3/4) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then G3 (2), then C4 (1), then D4 (3), then E4 (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 Waltzing river?
It is heard in 82 songs of the library, as the main groove of 14 songs, such as Come Emmanuel, In My Own Lifetime, Menuet In G Minor, BMV Anh. 115, Noche De Paz.
Is Waltzing river easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 3/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.