Stride jumps
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. One of the stride and oom-pah 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. Play low C on 1, then G and high C together on 2, then low C on 3, then G and high C together on 4.
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 Stride jumps on piano?
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. A bass note, then a chord. It is stride when the leap spans an octave or more. Musicians call it stride.
Is Stride jumps 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 Stride jumps?
Count On Me by Bruno Mars, Time To Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman with Andrea Bocelli and Off To Massachusetts by Mindi Dickstein use Stride jumps. The songs on this page all use it in the left hand, the most played first.