Left-hand pattern · Dreamy ballad
Yo-yo bounce
A long high root, a dip down, and back up like a yo-yo. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5-8.
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How Yo-yo bounce 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 Yo-yo bounce
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Yo-yo bounce, from verse to chorus.
More ripples
All patternsQuestions about Yo-yo bounce
What is Yo-yo bounce on piano?
A long high root, a dip down, and back up like a yo-yo. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5-8, one of the broken chord patterns: the chord, one note at a time, close together.
How do I play broken chord 8-5-8 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C4 (2), then G3 (5), then C4 (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 Yo-yo bounce?
It is heard in 629 songs of the library, as the main groove of 52 songs, such as Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Call Me Irresponsible, Top Of The World, Can't Smile Without You (arr. Phillip Keveren).
Is Yo-yo bounce easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 120 beats a minute.