Waltz Bass on Piano
A waltz is in three: one strong beat and two light ones. The left hand plays a low bass note on beat 1, then a chord on beats 2 and 3: oom, pah, pah. Count 1, 2, 3 out loud and keep the chords softer than the bass.
Practice it
Start with Oom-pah-pah, the one most songs use.
Patterns
Songs that use a waltz bass
- Piano ManBilly Joel
- The Rainbow ConnectionKermit The Frog
- The Last WaltzEngelbert Humperdinck
- Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor Op. 23Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Rocket ManElton John
- If We Never Meet AgainJohnny Cash
- Waltz Of The Flowers (From The Nutcracker Suite)Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- MotherlandNatalie Merchant
- Ma Belle EvangelineJim Cummings
- Until...Sting
- Blue Danube WaltzJohann Strauss II
- The Last ShipSting
- The Ash GroveTraditional
- Cielito Lindo (My Pretty Darling)Carlos Fernandez
- Take Me To ChurchHozier
- Being For The Benefit Of Mr. KiteThe Beatles
- Over My ShoulderMika
- Du, Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen (You, You Weigh On My Heart)German Folk Song
- Emperor WaltzJohann Strauss II
- TammyDebbie Reynolds
Questions
How do you play a waltz left hand?
A bass note on 1, a chord on 2 and a chord on 3. Over C: the low C, then E and G together, twice.
Does it work in 6/8?
Yes. In 6/8 the same idea comes twice a bar: a bass note on 1 and on 4, with the chords between.
Which songs use a waltz bass?
Piano Man by Billy Joel, The Rainbow Connection by Kermit The Frog and The Last Waltz by Engelbert Humperdinck use a waltz bass. The songs on this page all use it, the most played first.