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.
SLAVE TO LOVE
Bryan Ferry
SWEET SURRENDER
John Denver
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT
Eagles
ALL IS WELL
Michael W. Smith
A MESS OF BLUES
Elvis Presley
BEAUTIFUL BOY
John Lennon
BOOM BOOM
John Lee Hooker
California Dreamin'
The Mamas & The Papas
CLOSER
Kings Of Leon
CRYING IN THE CHAPEL
Elvis Presley
CUDDLE UP A LITTLE CLOSER, LOVEY MINE
Karl Hoschna
GOOD TIMES
Chic
GUINNEVERE
Crosby, Stills & Nash
HOUSE THAT MERCY BUILT
Point Of Grace
I FORGOT TO BE YOUR LOVER
William Bell
I'LL BE AROUND
The Mills Brothers
NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU'RE DOWN AND OUT
Janis Joplin
OH LORD, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL
Keith Green
ONCE AGAIN
Matt Redman
ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART
Neil Young
ONLY TRUST YOUR HEART
Diana Krall
THE BARGAIN STORE
Dolly Parton
THE SERVANT KING
Graham Kendrick
UNKNOWN LEGEND
Neil Young
A BETTER MAN
Clint Black
ANGRY EYES
Loggins & Messina
BABY BLUE
Badfinger
CARIBBEAN QUEEN
Billy Ocean
DON'T
Elvis Presley
HELP ME RHONDA
The Beach Boys
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Lady A
KRYPTONITE
3 Doors Down
LET IT RAIN
Eric Clapton
MY BOY LOLLIPOP
Millie Small
MY MAMMY
Al Jolson
OUR LAST SUMMER
ABBA
TAKE MY LIFE
Chris Tomlin
THE END
The Beatles
THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE
Roberta Flack
THIS IS MY SONG
Petula Clark
WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME
Joni James
ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT?
Elvis Presley
AS TIME GOES BY
Harry Nilsson
BLESS HIS HOLY NAME
Andraé Crouch
COME ON LET'S GO
Los Lobos
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
The Beach Boys
FERRY 'CROSS THE MERSEY
Gerry & The Pacemakers
NOWHERE MAN
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.