3 Indian Folk Rhythm Patterns Every Pianist Should Know

To play Indian folk rhythms on piano, treat it like a drum: keep root notes in the left hand and chords in the right, then build grooves with percussive chords, spread arpeggios and a 3 against 2 polyrhythm, all while following the chord changes.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 29 min

Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube.

What this lesson teaches

This lesson shows how to take a folk groove played on a percussion instrument such as a bongo and move it onto the piano. Jason Zac demonstrates with three of his students, Durga, Ashwin and Ravi. It suits pianists and keyboard players in bands who already know basic chords and want their playing to sound grooved and Indian, not like a generic pop accompaniment.

Everything is played over one four-chord loop, taken from the Amit Trivedi song Shubhaarambh:

• C minor (C Eb G)
• Eb major (Eb G Bb)
• Bb major (Bb D F)
• F major (F A C)

On piano you have an extra job compared with a percussionist. The rhythm must land the chord changes on time and fit with the vocal line and the rest of the band.

Think like a drummer

The piano works like a drum. Low notes act like the wide, low skin of a bongo and high notes like the smaller, higher skin. Keep root notes in the left hand and chords in the right hand, because chords low in the left hand make the frequencies clash. You don't need to copy the percussionist exactly. Borrow the main rhythmic framework and play that.

Pattern 1: Percussive chords and arpeggios

Ravi plays the groove with the left hand on the root of each chord and the right hand striking the chord in the drum rhythm. To break the monotony and make the cycle feel longer, add a hard-hitting stop at the end of the loop, like a drummer hitting the toms. In the lesson this is both hands together on the F chord. You can get busier or calmer at that point.

For a softer, more melodic, ballad-like feel, keep the same rhythm but play the left-hand root first and let the right hand glide through an arpeggio. You can let the left hand ring or cut it short, and you can move the arpeggio higher.

Pattern 2: Chord tones spread across both hands

Durga keeps a similar rhythm but spreads the chord tones between both hands, so the harmony comes through as clearly as the rhythm. He plays two different patterns and then combines them into one longer cycle, the way drummers mix long tom rolls with short fills. This adds spice and stops one groove from wearing thin over a whole song.

You can place the third close to the root or spread it further away. If your hands can't stretch that far, use the sustain pedal so the low note rings while you move. Staying within one to one and a half octaves is fine, but if the band leaves room, a range of about three octaves adds real weight.

Pattern 3: The 3 against 2 polyrhythm

Jason Zac's favourite is the 3:2 polyrhythm, which is very common in folk music. One hand plays three evenly spaced beats while the other plays two in the same span.

1. Ashwin plays 3 in the left hand (roots) and 2 in the right hand (chords).
2. He then reverses it: 2 in the left hand and 3 in the right hand.

Each version feels different, so practise both. Think of the right hand as hi-hats and the left hand as kick and snare. For a fuller sound, hold the left-hand pinky on the low note while the thumb keeps the groove going.

How to practise

• Turn the keyboard volume down or off and play so you feel the groove physically, as a drummer does on a non-pitched surface.
• Play each pattern slowly first, then at tempo, always landing the chord changes cleanly.
• Mix patterns and add stops to create longer cycles.
• Use dynamics. Shape the volume, even inside a single triplet, so your playing has feel and doesn't sound like a programmed MIDI loop.

Questions about this lesson

Should I play chords in my left hand for Indian folk grooves?

Generally no. Low chords make the frequencies clash, so keep root notes in the left hand and play the chords in the right hand.

How do I stop a folk groove sounding repetitive?

Add stops at the end of the chord cycle, switch between patterns, or combine two patterns into one longer cycle, the way drummers use fills and tom rolls.

What is a 3 against 2 polyrhythm on piano?

One hand plays three evenly spaced beats while the other plays two in the same span. Practise it with 3 in the left hand and 2 in the right, then swap, because each version has a different feel.

What if my hands can't stretch to spread the chord tones?

Use the sustain pedal so the low note keeps ringing while your hands move. Staying within one to one and a half octaves is also perfectly fine.

Practise it

• Rhythm TeacherBuild accent patterns, divide beats and explore odd metres and polyrhythms.
• Groove MetronomeWork with tempo, accents and polyrhythms instead of a single unchanging click.
• Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
• All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.

Related lessons

• 3 Beautiful Piano Arpeggio Patterns (for Any Genre)Three go-to piano arpeggio patterns are low-middle-high-middle (LMHM), high-middle-low-middle (HMLM) and high-low-middle-low (HLML), played as eighth notes in the right hand over close chord inversions while the left hand plays the root of each chord.
• 3 Go-To Left-Hand Piano Patterns Every Player NeedsThree dependable left-hand piano patterns cover most genres: the umpah (root-fifth bass with a staccato chord), the four-note arpeggio (low, high, middle, high), and the power chord (root, fifth and octave) played in different rock rhythms.
• 4 Left-Hand Piano Chord Patterns for Beginners (Accompany Any Melody)To accompany a melody on piano, learn the tonic, subdominant and dominant chords of a major scale (in G major: G B D, G C E and F# C D) and play them in the left hand using four patterns: arpeggio, oompa, waltz and salsa.
• 5 Left-Hand Ballad Arpeggio Patterns for Beautiful Solo PianoFive left-hand ballad arpeggio patterns are low-high-middle-high (LHMH), LHMH with octave displacement, a fifth-plus-off-beat combo, a spread (open) voicing and an extended octave arpeggio, all practised over a chromatic E major progression beneath a fixed right-hand melody.