Alberti Bass (Left Hand)

The low-high-middle-high accompaniment that runs under most classical melodies.

Level:
5 of 6
Hands:
Left hand
Key:
C major
Notes:
29
Range:
C3 to D4
One run:
about 12 seconds at 80 bpm

The notes, in order

29 notes, one at a time.

  1. C3
  2. G3
  3. E3
  4. G3
  5. C3
  6. G3
  7. E3
  8. G3
  9. F3
  10. C4
  11. A3
  12. C4
  13. F3
  14. C4
  15. A3
  16. C4
  17. G3
  18. D4
  19. B3
  20. D4
  21. G3
  22. D4
  23. B3
  24. D4
  25. C3
  26. G3
  27. E3
  28. G3
  29. C3

How to practise it

  1. Pattern per chord: bottom, top, middle, top
  2. Fingers 5-1-3-1 the whole way through
  3. Keep it quiet: this figure should never cover a melody

The scale behind it

This one is built on the C Major scale: C D E F G A B (no sharps or flats). Its right-hand fingering runs 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5, and the scale page has the full diagram if you want to hear the shape on its own first.

How to play it here

Play along on the keys with your mouse, your computer keyboard, a touch screen, or a MIDI keyboard you have plugged in. Every key can show its own name, and the metronome will hold the tempo while you work through the 29 notes.

What it trains

  • accompaniment
  • alberti
  • chords
  • classical

More arpeggios & chords

Broken and blocked chords: the same shapes your left hand will spend most of its life playing.

All piano exercises