Piano Songs with Octave Bass
2,110 songs — Octave bass — the left hand plays the same note one or two octaves apart, alternating or simultaneously — gives songs a powerful, anthemic feel. Common in rock ballads, pop power-songs, and dramatic accompaniment.
How octave bass works
Octave bass pattern: LH plays a root note + the same note an octave below or above, either alternating (boom-boom) or together (block octaves). Builds energy through register width without changing harmony.
Hometown Glory
Adele
Hotel California
Eagles
Hurt
Johnny Cash
I Awake
Illy
If You Could See Me Now
Chet Baker
I Heard It Through The Grape Vine
Marvin Gaye
I'm a Mess
Ed Sheeran
In Case You Didn't Know
Brett Young
In The Night Garden
Andrew Davenport
Issues
Julia Michaels
It's My Party
Lesley Gore
Joy To The World
Traditional
Kiss Me
Sixpence None the Richer
Lacrymosa from Requiem Mass, K626
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Le Onde
Ludovico Einaudi
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne
Let Me Go
Gary Barlow
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
Little Black Dress
One Direction
Livin' On A Prayer
Bon Jovi
Love And Marriage
Frank Sinatra
Love Changes Everything
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Love Yourself
Justin Bieber
Lullaby
Johannes Brahms
Make You Feel My Love
Adele
Malibu
Miley Cyrus
Man's Not Hot
Big Shaq
Mine
Taylor Swift
Music To Watch Girls By
The Bob Crewe Generation
My Only Wish This Year
Britney Spears
Never Say Never
Justin Bieber
Nobody Does It Better
Carly Simon
No Lie
Sean Paul
Not In Love
Enrique Iglesias
Now And Later
Sage the Gemini
Ode To Joy (from Symphony No. 9, Fourth Movement)
Ludwig van Beethoven
One Call Away
Charlie Puth
One Of These Days
Olly Murs
One Of Us
ABBA
One Way Or Another
Blondie
Opening Themes from Symphony No. 41 'Jupiter'
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Paradise
Coldplay
Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte
Maurice Ravel
Piano Concerto No. 3 Op. 37 (1st Movement Themes)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Please Don't Let Me Go
Olly Murs
Please Don't Say You Love Me
Gabrielle Aplin
Prelude No.1
George Gershwin
Prelude No.1 in C
Johann Sebastian Bach
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Frequently asked questions
- What is octave bass in piano?
- Octave bass is a left-hand technique where you play the same note in two octaves — typically the chord root plus its lower octave. Creates a fuller, more powerful sound than a single bass note.
- Is octave bass hard to play?
- For intermediate players, no — most adult hands span an octave comfortably. Children or smaller hands may need to roll the octave (play the lower note slightly before the upper).
- Which songs use octave bass?
- Rock ballads like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and many Coldplay songs use octave bass extensively. Browse the list above for ~2,000 examples in our catalog.