Right-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Woodpecker taps
A chord, then a high note tapping again and again like a woodpecker. Musicians call it chord + repeated upper 3rd.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Woodpecker taps 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.
Two-note ostinato: Two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
Songs with Woodpecker taps
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Woodpecker taps, from verse to chorus.
More twinkles & ticks
All patternsQuestions about Woodpecker taps
What is Woodpecker taps on piano?
A chord, then a high note tapping again and again like a woodpecker. Musicians call it chord + repeated upper 3rd, one of the two-note ostinato patterns: two notes rocking back and forth in the right hand.
How do I play chord + repeated upper 3rd with the right hand?
Over C major it is G4 (1) + C5 (3), then E5 (5), then E5 (5), then E5 (5), then E5 (5), then E5 (5); 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 Woodpecker taps?
It is heard in 22 songs of the library, such as Gods And Monsters, Held Für Einen Tag, Hit Music, Mud On The Tires.
Is Woodpecker taps easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.