Blues stairs down

A bluesy note stepping down, then a little skip lower. One of the walking bass patterns.

Chords: Am, F, C, G

How to play it

  1. Find the notes

    Put your left hand over a C chord. You need E (little finger, 5), G (middle finger, 3), A (index finger, 2) and B (thumb, 1).

  2. Count and play

    Count 1, 2, 3, 4. Play B on 1, then A on 2, then G on 3, then E on 4.

  3. Move it with the chords

    When the chord changes to G, the same rhythm moves to the notes of G: B, D, E and F♯. Play it slowly over the chord loop above, at 60% speed first, then faster.

Songs that use it

None of the songs here use Blues stairs down as their main pattern yet.

Questions

What is Blues stairs down on piano?

A bluesy note stepping down, then a little skip lower. A stepwise bass line falling, often a line cliché. Musicians call it walk-down 7-6-5-3.

Is Blues stairs down hard to play?

It is a beginner pattern. Play it with your left hand alone at 60% speed until it feels steady, then add the other hand.

Which songs use Blues stairs down?

None of the songs here use it in the left hand as their main pattern yet. You can still hear it and practice it from this page.