Feather-fall down

A big leap to the top, then three steps settling down on the octave. 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 low C (little finger, 5), high C (thumb, 1), D (middle finger, 3) and E (index finger, 2).

  2. Count and play

    Count 1, 2, 3, 4. Play low C on 1, then E on 2, then D on 3, then high C on 4.

  3. Move it with the chords

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

Songs that use it

None of the songs here use Feather-fall down as their main pattern yet.

Questions

What is Feather-fall down on piano?

A big leap to the top, then three steps settling down on the octave. A stepwise bass line falling, often a line cliché. Musicians call it walk-down 1-10-9-8.

Is Feather-fall down hard to play?

It is an intermediate pattern. Learn it with your left hand alone at 60% speed first, then play it over a chord loop.

Which songs use Feather-fall 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.