Round-trip ripple
Climbs to the octave and comes straight back home, then rests. One of the broken chord patterns.
How to play it
Find the notes
Put your left hand over a C chord. You need low C (little finger, 5), G (index finger, 2) and high C (thumb, 1).
Count and play
Count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &" (say "and" for &). Play low C on 1, then G on 1&, then high C on 2, then G on 2&, then low C on 3 and hold it.
Move it with the chords
When the chord changes to G, the same rhythm moves to the notes of G: low G, D and high G. Play it slowly over the chord loop above, at 60% speed first, then faster.
Songs that use it
Questions
What is Round-trip ripple on piano?
Climbs to the octave and comes straight back home, then rests. Chord tones one at a time, within an octave. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5-1.
Is Round-trip ripple 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 Round-trip ripple?
Empty Chairs At Empty Tables by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Amazed by Phillips, Craig & Dean and Love On The Rocks by Neil Diamond use Round-trip ripple. The songs on this page all use it in the left hand, the most played first.