Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Wobble-up stairs
A dip one step down, then back up and one step higher. Musicians call it walk-up 8-7-8-9.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Wobble-up stairs 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 Wobble-up stairs
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Wobble-up stairs, from verse to chorus.
More walks & steps
All patternsQuestions about Wobble-up stairs
What is Wobble-up stairs on piano?
A dip one step down, then back up and one step higher. Musicians call it walk-up 8-7-8-9, one of the walk-up patterns: step by step up into the next chord.
How do I play walk-up 8-7-8-9 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C4 (4), then B3 (5), then C4 (4), then Db4 (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 Wobble-up stairs?
It is heard in 43 songs of the library, as the main groove of 1 song, such as I'm Beginning To See The Light, Lover, Come Back To Me, O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles), Hakuna Matata.
Is Wobble-up stairs easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 132 beats a minute.