Waltzing tide
Five notes roll up wide and high, then hold, in a slow three. 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 &" (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.
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 Waltzing tide on piano?
Five notes roll up wide and high, then hold, in a slow three. An arpeggio spanning a 10th: the classic ballad left hand. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12 (3/4).
Is Waltzing tide 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 Waltzing tide?
A Time For Us by Nino Rota and Message In A Bottle by Jennifer Linn use Waltzing tide. The songs on this page all use it in the left hand, the most played first.