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.
JENNY FROM THE BLOCK
Jennifer Lopez
KARMA
Alicia Keys
LITTLE GIRL BLUE
Janis Joplin
Mandolin Rain
Bruce Hornsby
ME AND MY GANG
Rascal Flatts
SOMEONE LIKE YOU
Van Morrison
Stay Gone
Jimmy Wayne
STAY OR LEAVE
Dave Matthews
THE JOKER
Steve Miller Band
THIS IS THE NIGHT
Clay Aiken
WHEN YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME
Josh Groban
WILD HORSES
Alicia Keys
AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
BORN TO BE YOURS
Kygo & Imagine Dragons
CADILLAC CAR
Tom Eyen
DIFFERENCES
Ginuwine
END OF TIME
Beyoncé
FIELDS OF GOLD
Eva Cassidy
GENIE IN A BOTTLE
Christina Aguilera
GIVE ME LOVE
Ed Sheeran
HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS
Richard Marx
I CROSS MY HEART
George Strait
JUST TO SEE HER
Smokey Robinson
LADIES NIGHT
Kool & The Gang
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Mariah Carey
ONE MORE NIGHT
Phil Collins
ROCKSTAR
A Great Big World
RUNNING ON FAITH
Eric Clapton
SILLY LOVE SONGS
Glee Cast
TILL WE AIN'T STRANGERS ANYMORE
Bon Jovi featuring LeAnn Rimes
TWO PRINCES
Spin Doctors
VOICES THAT CARE
David Foster
WEAR ME OUT
Skylar Grey
WHY SHOULD I WORRY?
Billy Joel
CRAZY ON YOU
Heart
DON'T KNOW WHY I LOVE YOU
Stevie Wonder
HEAL THE WORLD
Michael Jackson
HEART ATTACK
Demi Lovato
IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW
Truth
I MISS YOU
Clean Bandit ft. Julia Michaels
MAKE IT TO ME
Sam Smith
MOVING ON AND GETTING OVER
John Mayer
OFFERING
Third Day
ONE MORE TRY
George Michael
Oxygen
Colbie Caillat
SKYLINE PIGEON
Elton John
SLOW DANCE
John Legend
THE RIGHT MAN
Christina Aguilera
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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.