Piano Hand Independence Workout Using the Bossa Clave (Dance Groove)

To build piano hand independence for dance music, play the bossa (pop) clave, a one-bar sixteenth-note rhythm, in one hand while the other keeps a steady four-beat pulse over a Bm–D–F#m–E progression, then swap the roles of the hands.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 20 min

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What this lesson teaches

This workout from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music helps pianists who play pop, EDM, disco or any music people dance to. The goal is to keep a rock-solid pulse in one hand, like a drummer, while the other hand plays a syncopated rhythm called the bossa clave, also known as the pop clave. It suits players who already know basic chords and want their hands, and their voice, to work independently.

The chord progression: Bm, D, F#m, E

Every exercise uses one popular four-chord loop, the kind of progression heard in Daft Punk-style dance music. It can be thought of as coming from B Dorian, or from its parent scale, A major:

• Bm (B D F#) is the ii chord of A major
• D (D F# A) is the IV chord
• F#m (F# A C#) is the vi chord
• E (E G# B) is the V chord

Get comfortable with the progression in the right hand, using whatever inversions feel smooth. At the very least, the left hand should be able to play the roots: B, D, F# and E.

Step 1: The 1:4 ratio

Before any dance rhythms, hold a single bass note in the left hand while the right hand plays four hits of the chord. That is a one-to-four ratio, with one left-hand note lasting for four right-hand hits. Now sing along. Singing often exposes small glitches in the hands. Independence includes independence between the piano and your voice, which matters if you play in a band or want to sing and play like the great piano songwriters.

Step 2: Learn the bossa clave in the right hand

The bossa clave fills one bar of four beats and is counted in sixteenth notes, which divide each beat into four: 1 e and a, 2 e and a, 3 e and a, 4 e and a. Dividing the beat into four is what gives dance music its energy. Learn the rhythm in short sections, first the opening beats, then the whole bar, and play it on each chord of the progression.

Step 3: Feel the pulse with your body

A groovy clave needs the steady beat underneath it. Start by nodding your head to the four beats, then add your foot, your whole body or a left-hand finger snap. Once your body carries the pulse, the hands follow more easily. You can also try the reverse: keep the pulse in the left hand on a single B and hum the clave rhythm, miming the right hand, before you play it.

Step 4: Left-hand pulse variations

With the clave in the right hand, the left hand plays the pulse on each beat. Work through these in order:

1. Roots on each beat.
2. Root octaves played together, pinky and thumb, for a thicker sound.
3. Toggle: alternate root and octave on the pulse, like a bass guitar.
4. Slow arpeggio: walk through the chord tones, one per beat, for more harmonic colour in the bass.
5. Spread voicing: instead of a muddy close chord, play root, fifth, then the third up an octave, which is a tenth above the root. For Bm that is B, F#, D.

You can also hold the last right-hand hit a little longer, the way a drummer opens a hi-hat.

Step 5: Flip the hands

Now the left hand plays the bossa clave and the right hand plays the chord pulse. Start the left hand with a root-octave groove. The pinky on the root feels like a kick drum, the thumb like a snare, and the right-hand pulse like a hi-hat. Then try the clave in the left hand as triads, slow arpeggios and spread triads while the right hand holds its ground.

How to practise

Take one chord, Bm, until the coordination is secure, then move through the whole progression. Add each new left-hand variation only once the previous one is steady. Always keep the pulse in your body, and keep singing or humming along.

Questions about this lesson

What is the bossa clave on piano?

The bossa clave, also called the pop clave, is a syncopated one-bar rhythm in four beats, counted in sixteenth notes. It is heard in many pop and dance songs and works well as a right-hand or left-hand comping pattern.

How do I keep a steady pulse while playing a syncopated rhythm?

Feel the four beats with your body first by nodding your head, tapping your foot or snapping. Once the pulse is automatic, transfer it to the left hand as roots on each beat while the other hand plays the clave.

What is a spread voicing in the left hand?

A spread voicing plays the root, the fifth, and then the third an octave higher, which is a tenth above the root. It sounds clearer than a close chord low on the keyboard; for Bm it is B, F#, D.

Why should I sing while practising hand independence?

Singing reveals glitches in your playing and builds independence between your voice and the piano. That skill matters if you accompany singers or want to sing and play yourself.

Practise it

• Groove MetronomeWork with tempo, accents and polyrhythms instead of a single unchanging click.
• Rhythm TeacherBuild accent patterns, divide beats and explore odd metres and polyrhythms.
• 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 Play Disco and Dance Piano: Left-Hand Bass and Syncopated Right HandTo play disco piano, keep the left hand toggling between a root and its octave in steady eighth notes (pinky legato on the root, a short staccato thumb flick on the octave) while the right hand plays the chords in rhythms that build from held whole notes to off-beat hits, tresillo patterns and sixteenth-note syncopation.
• 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.
• Left-Hand Independence on Piano: The Starter ExerciseTo build left-hand independence on piano, hold the bass note G down with your left little finger while your other fingers play a swung eighth-note broken G minor chord pattern, then move only the little finger between G and F while the rest of the chord stays the same.