Ocean swell
Eight notes rise high and fall back down: one big ocean swell per bar. One of the left-hand arpeggio patterns.
How to play it
Find the notes
Put your left hand over a C chord. You need low C (little finger, 5), low G (index finger, 2), high C (thumb, 1), E (middle finger, 3) and high G (index finger, 2).
Count and play
Count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &" (say "and" for &). Play low C on 1, then low G on 1&, then high C on 2, then E on 2&, then high G on 3, then E on 3&, then high C on 4, then low G on 4&.
Move it with the chords
When the chord changes to G, the same rhythm moves to the notes of G: low G, low D, high G, B and high D. Play it slowly over the chord loop above, at 60% speed first, then faster.
Songs that use it
Questions
What is Ocean swell on piano?
Eight notes rise high and fall back down: one big ocean swell per bar. An arpeggio spanning a 10th: the classic ballad left hand. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12-10-8-5.
Is Ocean swell 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 Ocean swell?
Because by The Beatles, Adore by Chris Tomlin and How Soon by Henry Mancini use Ocean swell. The songs on this page all use it in the left hand, the most played first.