Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. 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), G (index finger, 2), high C (thumb, 1) and E (index finger, 2).
Count and play
Count the eighth notes: 1 2 3 4 5 6. Play low C on 1, then G on 2, then high C on 3, then E on 4, then high C on 5, then G on 6.
Move it with the chords
When the chord changes to G, the same rhythm moves to the notes of G: low G, D, high G and B. Play it slowly over the chord loop above, at 60% speed first, then faster.
Songs that use it
Questions
What is Swelling 6/8 on piano?
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. An arpeggio spanning a 10th: the classic ballad left hand. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8).
Is Swelling 6/8 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 Swelling 6/8?
Next To Me by Imagine Dragons, Nothing Else Matters by Metallica and Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen use Swelling 6/8. The songs on this page all use it in the left hand, the most played first.