Swan glide
Up the chord, then rocking between two notes: a smooth, gliding waltz. One of the broken chord patterns.
How to play it
Find the notes
Put your left hand over a C chord. You need C (little finger, 5), E (middle finger, 3) and G (thumb, 1).
Count and play
Count "1 & 2 & 3 &" (say "and" for &). Play C on 1, then E on 1&, then G on 2, then E on 2&, then G on 3, then E on 3&.
Move it with the chords
When the chord changes to G, the same rhythm moves to the notes of G: G, B and D. Play it slowly over the chord loop above, at 60% speed first, then faster.
Songs that use it
Questions
What is Swan glide on piano?
Up the chord, then rocking between two notes: a smooth, gliding waltz. Chord tones one at a time, within an octave. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-3-5-3 (3/4).
Is Swan glide 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 Swan glide?
The Swan (Le Cygne) by Camille Saint-Saens, Scarborough Fair/canticle by Simon & Garfunkel and For Those Tears I Died by Children Of The Day use Swan glide. The songs on this page all use it in the left hand, the most played first.