Super Simple Piano
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Left-hand piano patterns

What the left hand plays under a song. Open one to hear it and practice it.

Heartbeats

The lowest note in a rhythm you can dance to.

Chords: C, G

Engine 8ths

The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock.
Chords: C, G

Walking roots

One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet.
Chords: C, G

Pop heartbeat

Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs.
Chords: C, G

Lazy footsteps

One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar.
Chords: C, G

Push and land

A push just before beat 3, then two calm landings.
Chords: C, G

Island pulse

Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits.
Chords: C, G

Bossa sway

Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: a gentle Brazilian sway.
Chords: C, G

Pausing footsteps

Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe.

Drowsy heartbeat

Two slow notes, then a late one that slips in before the next bar.

Rock hop

Low, high, a quick double, then high again: a hopping rock bass.

Hopscotch steps

Step, step, skip a beat, step: like hopping over a square.

Late-hop footsteps

Steady low-high steps with one quick extra hop after beat 3.

Hurrying footsteps

Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end.

Chugging-train pulse

Chugs along in quick even notes, then takes one tiny breath at the end.

Run-up footsteps

Four steady steps plus a quick extra one that leads into the next bar.

Tick-tick-boom pulse

Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM.

Knock-knock footsteps

Step, then a quick knock-knock, a pause, and one last step.

Sneaky heartbeat

One strong note, then two sneaky ones hiding between the beats.

Racing heartbeat

One calm beat, then non-stop quick notes racing to the end.

Eager heartbeat

Jumps in early on the “and” before beat 3, like it can’t wait.

Double-skip footsteps

Steady steps with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end.

Waltz roots

One low note on each of the three beats: a simple waltz floor.

Groovy roots

Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce.

Hurry-and-wait pulse

Three quick notes rush out early, then the bass waits for the next bar.

Sleepy heartbeat

One long note, then a soft double tap in the second half.

Lub-dub heartbeat

Two quick beats, a pause, two quick beats: just like a real heart.

Freeze-tag footsteps

Step, step-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar.

Skipping-stone pulse

One strong note, then two bounces on the “ands”, like a stone on water.

Wobbly heartbeat

Two off-balance notes on the “ands”, then a firm landing on beat 4.

Hop-skip heartbeat

Three steps, then a quick hop that skips right over beat 4.

Tiptoe heartbeat

One firm note, then three tiptoe steps between the beats.

Dancing heartbeat

Notes dance around the beats, pushing ahead on the “ands”.

Rowing-boat pulse

Six even low notes per bar, rolling along like oars on water.

Dawdling footsteps

Two steps, then a lazy late note after beat 3 that catches up on 4.

Springy footsteps

A quick double skip at the start, then steady steps to the end.

Bouncy-ball heartbeat

A low note, then high bounces on every “and”, like a bouncing ball.

Gear-shift pulse

Quick even notes that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear.

Busy-bee pulse

Busy and bouncy, with pushes before beat 3 and at the very end.

Upside-down pulse

Every note lands between the beats, so it bounces like reggae.

Bubbly heartbeat

Steady beats filled with quick little pickups around beat 3.

Cradle pulse

A deep note, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle.

Jogging footsteps

A calm start, then quick jogging notes through the middle of the bar.

Rush-and-step pulse

Three quick notes tumble out, a pause, then one high step on beat 4.

Leapfrog pulse

One long note, then a quick hop that leaps right into beat 3.

Fluttering heartbeat

A quick flutter before beat 2, then a push before beat 3.

Stumbling footsteps

Steady steps with one tiny stumble right before beat 3.

Hopping heartbeat

Quick hops into the middle of the bar, then a rest on beat 4.

Slow-dance heartbeat

Four slow, deep beats under a swaying fifties ballad.

Lingering footsteps

Two steps, then one late note after beat 3 that hangs in the air.

Hammock heartbeat

Long-short, long-short: the low notes sway like a hammock.

Double island pulse

The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy.

Hiccup heartbeat

A tiny hiccup just before beat 3, then a push on the “and”.

Galloping heartbeat

Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves.

Pony-trot pulse

Quick trotting notes, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”.

Tumbling heartbeat

Quick notes tumble forward from the start and land on beat 4.

Tap-dance footsteps

Busy little taps around beat 2, then two calm steps to finish.

Butterfly heartbeat

A quick fluttery group at the start, then a long glide to beat 4.

Cartwheel heartbeat

Five evenly spaced notes roll across the beats, then land on 4.

Spinning-top pulse

Six even low notes in a three-beat bar, spinning round and round.

Excited heartbeat

Lots of quick notes with a tiny skip before beat 3: full of energy.

Waves

The left hand rolls through the chord like water.

Open sky

Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky.

Rolling waves

Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore.

Moon River roll

A wide, flowing roll in three, the Moon River feel.

River roll

Flows up five notes with a little step near the top, like a river.

Rising tide

Five notes roll up wide and high, then hold: a tide coming in.

Breaking wave

Four notes roll up quickly to a bright high top, then let it ring.

Bobbing boat

High, higher, then a dive to the bottom and back: a bobbing boat.

Rocket sweep

Climbs two octaves in two big leaps, soaring like a rocket.

Big sweep

Two octaves in one sweep: the film-score sound.

Dreamy wave

Rolls up through a soft extra note: a dreamy, open, modern sound.

Moonlit waves

Rolls up to a high note and back down, slow and wide in three.

Mountain leap

Three notes from very low to very high, leaping across the keyboard.

Waltzing river

Flows up five notes with a little step near the top, in three.

Ocean swell

Eight notes rise high and fall back down: one big ocean swell per bar.

Rainbow sweep

Five notes arc up two octaves like a rainbow, then let it ring.

Lapping waves

A low note, then a high pair rocking like small waves in a waltz.

Swelling 6/8

Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave.

Waltzing tide

Five notes roll up wide and high, then hold, in a slow three.

Shimmering waves

A low root, then two notes rocking fast like light on water.

Sea-breeze roll

Four notes roll up and float in a gentle sway, light as a sea breeze.

Drifting waves

A low note, then a high pair drifting back and forth in three.

Splashing wave

Two low notes, then a splash up high, in the three-three-two rhythm.

Ripples

Chord notes one at a time, close together.

Three-step climb

Root, fifth, octave, then let it ring.

Gentle rocking

Root, fifth, octave, fifth: the gentle rocking under countless pop ballads.

Tumble down

Three notes falling down the chord, one per beat, then a rest.

Yo-yo bounce

A long high root, a dip down, and back up like a yo-yo.

Waltz ripple

A ripple of three notes in three-time.

Doorbell ding-dong

Two high, two low, in a lazy push rhythm: ding-ding, dong-dong.

Stair steps

Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm.

Double-tap drop

The same note twice, long then short, then a drop to a lower note.

Little steps

Up the chord and back, one step at a time.

Wobbling tick-tock

The root and the note just below take turns: a cheeky swinging wobble.

Ping-pong bounce

High, low, high, low on every beat: a ping-pong bounce.

Island zigzag

A jump up, then down past the start, in the three-three-two rhythm.

Double-step climb

Two beats on the root, two on the next chord note up: simple and steady.

Hammering bass

The same note hammered on every quick beat, dipping only at the end.

Drumming bass

The root drummed on every quick beat, with a tiny step at the end.

Trampoline bounce

Root, a jump up, a dip down, a jump up: a country-style bounce.

Waltz climb

Three notes up the chord, one per beat: a gentle waltz climb.

Moonlit climb

Three notes rising to a soft, jazzy top note in three, left to ring.

Knocking drop

Three pushes on the same note, then a drop on beat 4.

Rock’n’roll climb

Up three chord notes and one step past: the 1950s rock’n’roll climb.

Over-the-hill

A jump up to the top, then down through the chord to home.

Busy rocking

A low root, then quick notes rocking between two higher keys.

Dip-and-back bounce

The root twice, a dip down on beat 3, and right back up on beat 4.

Hop-back bounce

High, low, then back up to stay: a simple, sturdy bounce.

Happy wiggle

Root, fifth, a step up and back: a cheerful bluesy wiggle.

Jack-in-the-box

One note jumping up and down an octave on every beat.

Bumblebee buzz

Two low notes buzz back and forth on quick, even beats.

Little-hill climb

Up the chord three steps, then a jump back to the starting note.

Climb-and-jump

Up the chord one note per beat, then a big jump back to the bottom.

Froggy bounce

Fifth, high root, low root, high root: a jolly hopping country bass.

Round-trip ripple

Climbs to the octave and comes straight back home, then rests.

Jazz-club climb

Three slow notes rising to a soft, jazzy top, one per beat.

Lilting climb

Three notes climbing in a long-short swing, then a pause to ring.

Fiesta bounce

A long fifth, then high root and low root: a happy fiesta bounce.

Pogo-stick bounce

The same note jumps up and down an octave, with a quick double.

Take-off climb

Two pushes on the root, then a climb up the chord to beat 4.

Banana-peel slip

Four steady beats on one note, then a quick slip down into the next bar.

Lullaby ripple

Up to the top and rocking there in quick notes: a lullaby in three.

Drop-and-stay

A long high root, then the lower note twice: calm and settled.

Popcorn bounce

A high and a low note popping back and forth on every quick beat.

Rockabilly wiggle

Root, a skip down, a step down and back up: a rockabilly shake.

Bluesy shrug

A long root, then down and back up to a bluesy note.

Waltz rocking

Three quick notes up to the top, then one long note back down.

Hop-up drop

A jump up, the top note twice, then a drop below the start.

Bubbling climb

Three notes climb, then start again: a rippling rise that sways in two.

Little rainbow

Six notes up the chord and back down: an arch in one rocking bar.

Hammock rocking

Low, high, top, high in a long-short sway, like a swinging hammock.

Freight-train bounce

Root, up, down low, up: the chugging bass of folk guitar songs.

Swan glide

Up the chord, then rocking between two notes: a smooth, gliding waltz.

Boogie climb

Each note played twice as the line climbs: a rocking boogie bass.

Gondola ripple

Up to the top, a pause to sway, and back: a gentle boat ride.

Rising mist

Three notes rising again and again, soft and floating in two big beats.

Bounce & stride

Bass, then chord: the left hand leaps.

Oom-pah

A bass note, then three soft chords: oom, pah, pah, pah.

Stride jumps

Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps.

Boom-chick

Bass, chord, bass, chord: the bounce of ragtime and country.

Oom-pah-pah

One strong beat and two light ones: a dance in three.

Waltz stride

A deep bass, a chord above, then the octave: a leaping waltz.

Boom-chick-boom

Bass, chord, then a second bass note: a country waltz in three.

Ragtime bounce

Quick bass-chord-bass-chord: the bouncy left hand of ragtime.

Kangaroo leaps

Bass, high chord, bass, high chord, fast: the hand leaps like a kangaroo.

Polka oom-pah

One bass note and three quick chords: a bouncy polka.

Carousel

Boom-chick-chick, boom-chick-chick: round and round like a carousel.

Serenade shimmer

One deep bass, then soft chords pulsing quickly above it, like a serenade.

Jukebox leaps

Bass, chord, bass, chord in a slow, swaying 1950s groove.

Rock & boogie

Octaves, power chords and rock’n’roll shuffles.

Power fifths

Root and fifth together: big and bold.

Giant steps

A full chord on every beat, low and heavy, like a giant walking.

Heartbeat octaves

Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat.

Marching giant

Thick three-note chords on every beat, rocking between two shapes.

Velvet jazz

Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads.

Boogie walker

A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord.

Little march

A chord, then a single low note: left, right, like a little march.

Rock’n’roll rocker

The left hand rocks between two shapes, straight out of the 1950s.

Sliding twins

Two notes together step down beat by beat, like a hymn closing.

Brass-band march

A bold open chord, then a low note: oom-pah like a marching band.

Toy-soldier march

A bright two-note chord, then the low root: a toy soldier’s left-right.

Clip-clop waltz

A two-note chord and a single note trade places in quick waltz steps.

Pirate-ship sway

Bass, chord, bass, chord in a lilting long-short swing.

Rocking chair

Low, high, low, high, slow and swaying, like a rocking chair.

Two-step bass

Root and fifth taking turns, folk and country style.

Island seesaw

Low, high, low in the three-three-two island rhythm.

Lazy seesaw

A low note, a higher one, a gap, then the higher one again.

Seesaw bass

Low, higher, low, higher on every beat: a steady seesaw.

Bossa seesaw

Low-low, high-high in a laid-back Brazilian sway.

Pop seesaw

Two low notes, long then short, then a step up on beat 3.

Tiptoe seesaw

A low note, then the higher note tiptoes on every “and”.

Patient seesaw

Three low notes wait their turn, then one step up on beat 4.

Bounce-back seesaw

Low, low, a hop up on beat 3, and straight back down.

Waltz seesaw

One low note, then two higher ones: oom-pah-pah with single notes.

Galloping seesaw

Low-high-high, low-high-high with a push: busy and bright.

Lullaby seesaw

A low note, then gentle higher notes between the beats of a waltz.

Murmur & thunder

Mozart murmurs and dramatic shaking octaves.

Mozart murmur

Low, high, middle, high, over and over: the Mozart murmur.

Bouncing Alberti

Low, high, middle, high on each beat: a bouncy, cheerful bass.

Thunder tremolo

An octave shaking fast: thunder and suspense.

Hummingbird shiver

Two notes trembling super fast: a shiver of excitement.

Music-box murmur

Low, high, middle, high in quick notes, tinkling like a music box.

Walks & steps

Bass lines that step into the next chord.

Jazz walk

One note per beat, strolling like a jazz bassist.

Stairs down

Four notes stepping down, one per beat, into the next chord.

Patient stairs up

Root twice, then two steps up into the next chord.

Lazy stairs up

A long root, then two steps up on beats 3 and 4.

Waltz stairs up

Three notes step up, one per beat, leading into the next chord.

Skippy stairs up

Three steps up, then a small hop higher, into the next chord.

Peek-up stairs

Three steps up, then back home, ready to start again.

Dip-and-climb up

Root, a drop down, then three steps climbing back up to the next chord.

Basement stairs up

A jump down to the low root, then three steps up to the next chord.

Waltz stairs down

Three notes step down to the root, one per waltz beat.

Climb-and-wait stairs

Up two steps, then wait on the top step for the next chord.

Patient stairs down

Root twice, then two steps down into the next chord.

Lazy stairs down

A long root, then two steps down on beats 3 and 4.

Sunset stairs down

From the root, three steps sinking down: a bittersweet slide.

Bounce-and-climb

Bounces on the root, then two quick steps up at the very end.

Leap-up stairs

Root, a leap up, then two steps climbing into the next chord.

Rocking stairs up

Root twice in a lilting sway, then two quick steps up.

Up-and-back stairs

Two steps up, then one step back, gently leading on.

Waltz slide down

Three notes slide down from the top, one per waltz beat.

Bump-and-slide down

A quick double on the root, then three steps sliding down.

Elevator stairs up

A jump up an octave, then two steps climbing even higher.

Jump-up slide down

A jump up an octave, then two steps sliding back down.

Coming-home slide

Three notes step down to the root, then rest at home.

Springboard stairs

From the fifth, a jump to the root, then two steps up.

Midway stairs up

Starts in the middle of the chord and steps up one note per beat, in three.

Parachute down

A leap up high, then three steps floating back down.

Waltz drift down

Three notes drift down to the fifth, one per beat, in three.

Moonlight slide down

Three close notes gliding down through the root, soft and wistful.

Wobble-up stairs

A dip one step down, then back up and one step higher.

Waltz ladder

Three notes step up toward the next root, one per waltz beat.

Blues stairs down

A bluesy note stepping down, then a little skip lower.

Full ladder up

Four steps up from the fifth, arriving right on the next root.

Waterslide

Four steps sliding down from up high, through the root.

Ladder home

A low chord, then three steps climbing up to the octave.

Hymn stairs down

Three notes step down the middle of the chord, calm as a hymn.

Bounce-down home

A hop up to the third, then two steps back down home.

Tiptoe stairs up

Three close steps rising through the root, in three.

Late slide down

Waits a beat, then three steps sliding down to the fifth.

Stairs-and-leap

Two steps up, then a big leap to the octave.

Lilting stairs up

A long root, then two quick steps up in a gentle sway.

Dive-and-rise stairs

A drop to the low root, then quick steps up in a rocking feel.

Up-and-drop stairs

Two steps up, then a drop down to the fifth.

Escalator

A quick run: root, a leap, then steps gliding up to the octave.

Slide-home stairs

From the fifth, a skip and two steps all the way down home.

Almost-there stairs

Steps up from the fifth and waits just below the next root.

Tumbling stairs down

A long root, a jump up, then quick steps tumbling down.

Late-start stairs up

Waits a beat, then three steps up into the next chord.

Feather-fall down

A big leap to the top, then three steps settling down on the octave.

Step-back stairs up

Starts on the third, drops to the root, then steps back up.

Late ladder up

Waits a beat, then climbs three steps toward the next root.

Peek-and-slide down

A peek one step up, then two steps sliding down.

Racing stairs up

Quick steps up, then two hops all the way to the octave.