Left-Hand Piano Drum Grooves: Follow the Kick and Snare for Independence

To play a drum groove in your piano left hand, follow the drummer's kick and snare pattern using the root and octave of each chord, like a bass player, then add the fifth or tenth for colour while your right hand plays melody or chords.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Beginner · 15 min

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What this lesson teaches

This is the first part of Jason Zac's series on go-to left-hand piano patterns. The idea is to let your left hand act as both drummer and chord player, so your right hand is free for a melody, embellishments or improvisation. That way you can cover melody, rhythm and harmony on your own, whether you are accompanying someone or playing a solo gig.

The lesson is aimed at players who are relatively new to the piano, though more experienced players may find some of it refreshing.

Step 1: Follow the kick and snare

To create a drum groove on the piano, you generally follow the kick drum and the snare drum. Think like a bass player, who uses the root and the octave a great deal.

• Take the root of your chord, for example E.
• Play the low E with your pinkie and the E an octave above with your thumb.
• Place those notes where the drummer's kick and snare would fall.

Visualise a drummer and bass player playing with you. The groove is not really born from the piano; it comes from the music's bigger picture, and you are adding to the force the drums and bass already create.

If you play with a real drummer, match their kick pattern closely. Avoid holding long sustained notes when the drummer is playing a busy, groovy beat, because it works against what they are doing.

Step 2: Add the right hand

The left-hand pattern alone is easy. The real challenge is combining it with a melody or improvisation in the right hand. This lesson is not about the melody itself; it is about keeping the two going together.

• If the original melody is too hard, simplify the right hand, even to a single note.
• Alternatively, comp the chords of the song in the right hand, for example in quarter notes, while a singer or another player carries the melody. The left hand does not need to change.
• If you run out of groove ideas, the famous We Will Rock You beat is always available.

Step 3: Add dynamic colour

Make some left-hand notes long and some short, and let the low note hit a little louder. This accent on the low note is common in modern popular music. Above all, do what comes naturally.

Step 4: Add harmonic colour

Playing only E and its octave can become a bit boring, so think harmonically about the chord you are playing over.

1. Root and fifth: play E and B, moving between the fifth and the octave.
2. Root, third and fifth: if the chord is E minor, use E, G and B in your pattern, much as many bass players would.
3. Root, fifth and tenth: a favourite of Jason's for solo playing. The tenth is the third (G) placed an octave higher. Counting up from E, 8 is the octave, 9 is the second an octave up and 10 is the third an octave up. Moving the third outside the octave fills up a bigger space in the sound.

How to practise

These patterns need to become almost robotic, so you can play them without thinking. That only comes from playing them over and over.

• Keep a pulse going with your leg while you play.
• Test your automation by distracting yourself: have a coffee, watch TV or talk to someone while your left hand keeps the groove.
• Expect mistakes. The point is to grow both hands rather than compromising on melody, rhythm or harmony.
• Let it develop organically by ear, not by reading or writing it out.
• Take breaks and sleep on it. The pattern often feels noticeably easier the next day.

The next part of the series moves on to go-to left-hand patterns for rock and roll and blues.

Questions about this lesson

How do I play a drum groove with my left hand on piano?

Follow the kick drum and snare drum rhythm using the root and octave of your chord, like a bass player would. Imagine a drummer and bass player with you and place your notes where their groove falls.

What is a tenth in a left-hand piano pattern?

A tenth is the third of the chord played an octave higher. Over E minor, playing E, B and the G above the octave gives a root, fifth and tenth pattern that fills a bigger space.

What if I can't play the melody over the left-hand groove?

Simplify the right hand, even to a single note, or comp the chords in quarter notes while someone else carries the melody. The left-hand groove can stay the same.

How do I make the left-hand pattern automatic?

Repeat it until you can play it without thinking, keep the pulse with your leg, and try playing while distracted, such as talking or watching TV. Take breaks and sleep on it, as it often feels easier the next day.

Practise it

• Groove KitExplore rhythm, patterns and musical practice tools in one workspace.
• 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

• Piano Hand Independence: 5 Habits That Actually Build ItTo improve piano hand independence, make one hand an instinctive engine that runs a pattern without thought. Free the other hand for the melody, and when things fall apart, simplify the right hand rather than the left. Build up with simple rhythms, singing and steady practice.
• How to Practice the Piano With Maximum EfficiencyTo practise piano efficiently, use a bottom-up approach: first build a reliable left-hand engine with simple root-and-octave patterns such as a steady pulse, the We Will Rock You rhythm and the tresillo, then play your melody, chords, arpeggios or exercises in the right hand over them.
• The Piano Engine: Build Finger Independence With One Epic ThemeThe piano 'Engine' is a driving accompaniment where the left-hand thumb keeps a steady pulse while the pinky holds longer notes, the right-hand thumb adds a third on the last sixteenth of each beat, and the remaining fingers play a simple melody on top.
• Piano Hand Independence Workout: Bass-Line Variations Under One ChordTo build piano hand independence, keep the right hand pulsing a single G minor chord (D G Bb) while the left hand plays rhythm variations on just three bass notes, G, A and Bb, mixing crotchets, minims, quavers, ties and rests.