Piano Songs with Walking Bass
857 songs — Walking bass — left hand moves in steady quarter notes through the chord tones and passing notes — is the defining bass pattern of jazz, blues, and boogie-woogie. Tricky to play, instantly cool.
How walking bass works
Walking bass: LH plays a steady stream of quarter notes (one per beat) that outline the harmony — typically chord root → 3rd → 5th → chromatic passing tone → next chord root. Mostly stepwise motion.
HEAVEN
DJ Sammy
HONKY TONK MAN
Dwight Yoakam
HOSANNA
Michael W. Smith
I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO
ABBA
I GOTTA TRY
Michael McDonald
I KEEP FORGETTIN'
Michael McDonald
JESUS, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME
Hillsong Worship
LET YOUR LOVE FLOW
Bellamy Brothers
LOVE OF MY LIFE
Queen
LOVERGIRL
Teena Marie
LOVESONG
Adele
PEOPLE GET READY
Curtis Mayfield
PHYSICAL
Olivia Newton-John
POISON IVY
The Coasters
ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
MercyMe
SAVE A PRAYER
Duran Duran
SHALLOW
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
SINKING DEEP
Hillsong Young & Free
STEAMROLLER
Elvis Presley
THIS DANCE
Five For Fighting
TODAY WAS A FAIRYTALE
Taylor Swift
WHITE WEDDING
Billy Idol
AFTER THE STORM
Mumford & Sons
ALMOST THERE
Anika Noni Rose
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
Goo Goo Dolls
COLD-HEARTED
Paula Abdul
COME AND GET YOUR LOVE
Real McCoy
DIAMOND HEART
Lady Gaga
DIG A PONY
The Beatles
Don't Stop Believin'
Journey
DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'
Journey
DON'T TAKE THE GIRL
Tim McGraw
EVERY HEARTBEAT
Amy Grant
EVERYTHING I OWN
Bread
FADE INTO YOU
Matt Jenkins
FOTOGRAFÍA
Juanes
GET YOURSELF ANOTHER FOOL
Paul McCartney
GIVE ME LOVE
George Harrison
GLITTER IN THE AIR
P!nk
HELLO, GOODBYE
The Beatles
HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE
Karrin Allyson
I BELIEVE IN YOU
Don Williams
I WANT YOU
The Beatles
LONGER
Dan Fogelberg
ME AND MY BROKEN HEART
Rixton
NOT ALONE ANY MORE
The Traveling Wilburys
ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE
Brewer & Shipley
P.S. I LOVE YOU
The Beatles
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Frequently asked questions
- What is walking bass piano?
- Walking bass is a left-hand technique where you play a continuous stream of quarter notes that "walk" between chord changes. Defining sound of jazz, blues, swing, and boogie-woogie.
- Is walking bass hard?
- Yes — it's one of the more advanced bass patterns. Requires hand independence (LH does its own walking line while RH plays melody/chords) and knowledge of scale + chord theory to construct walking lines.
- What songs use walking bass?
- Most jazz standards, blues progressions, and many soul/funk tracks. Browse the list for examples — mostly medium and hard difficulty.