Stop Playing 1-5-8 in Your Left Hand: Do This Instead (Pop Piano)
Instead of the root-fifth-octave left hand, play open 9th voicings (two stacked perfect fifths) on Ab, Bb and Cm and a 10th on the final chord, while the right hand arpeggiates cluster shapes such as D-Eb-Bb and F-Bb-D in semiquavers for a modern, soulful pop piano sound in E flat major.
Key points
- Root-5-octave grooves but adds no colour; open 9ths (two stacked perfect fifths) sound more modern.
- Left hand: 9ths on Ab, Bb and C minor, then a 10th on G minor or Eb major.
- Right hand shapes D-Eb-Bb and F-Bb-D give 13th, 9th and sharp 11th colours over Ab.
- Grow each right-hand shape from three to four to five notes.
- Use semiquavers in the right hand against quavers in the left, lift the pedal between chords and shape the dynamics.
What this lesson teaches
Many intermediate pianists play the same left-hand pattern for every chord: root, fifth and octave (1-5-8). It grooves, but it adds no harmonic colour because you are just repeating the root. In this play-along lesson, Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows a richer alternative: open 9th and 10th voicings in the left hand, combined with two cluster shapes in the right hand. It is aimed at pianists who already know basic chords and want a more modern, soulful pop sound.
Wide voicings sound clear in the low register, while close clusters sound muddy down there, so the left hand takes the wide shapes and the right hand takes the clusters up high.
The key and the progression
The whole lesson is in E flat major (three flats: Eb, Ab, Bb), which also works as its relative minor, C minor. The chords are:
- Cycle one: Ab major, Bb major, C minor, G minor (IV-V-vi-iii)
- Cycle two: Ab major, Bb major, C minor, Eb major (IV-V-vi-I)
Ending on Eb major instead of G minor adds a sense of hope or arrival.
Left hand: open 9ths and 10ths
The open 9th
An open 9th is a perfect fifth with another perfect fifth stacked on top. It contains no third, so it is neither major nor minor:
- Ab: Ab, Eb, Bb
- Bb: Bb, F, C
- C minor: C, G, D
If you want a fuller sound, you can add the 10th on top of the 9th shape (for example Ab, Eb, Bb, C), crossing a finger over if needed. Start with just the 9th, though.
The 10th on the last chord
A 10th is simply a third played an octave higher. On the fourth chord, play G with the Bb a 10th above for G minor, or Eb with the G a 10th above for Eb major.
Pedal and rhythm
These stretches are wide, so use the sustain pedal to connect the notes. Lift the pedal cleanly at each chord change so the harmonies do not blur. The first left-hand pattern is a simple quaver figure with gaps, held together by the pedal.
Right hand: two cluster shapes
The right hand plays continuous semiquavers (count 1 e and a, 2 e and a), contrasting with the sparser quavers in the left hand. Arpeggiate these shapes over every chord in the progression.
Shape one: D, Eb, Bb
This three-note shell works across all four chords. Over Ab it gives the sharp 11th (D), the fifth (Eb) and the 9th (Bb).
Shape two: F, B flat, D
These open-ended notes add colour. Against Eb, F is the 9th and D is the major 7th. Against Ab, F is the 13th, Bb is the 9th and D is the sharp 11th.
Growing to four notes
- Shape one: add C with your little finger (D, Eb, Bb, C). This creates a slightly syncopated, unresolved feel. D, Eb, G, Bb also works.
- Shape two: add Eb (F, Bb, D, Eb) for a lovely cluster on top.
Feel free to experiment with your own four-note combinations from the scale.
Growing to five notes
- Shape one: your middle finger is now free, so add F (or G).
- Shape two: copy the bottom note F an octave higher on top.
How to practise
- Learn the left-hand 9ths and 10ths alone with the pedal, lifting at each change.
- Arpeggiate each three-note right-hand shape over the progression in steady semiquavers.
- Combine the hands slowly, keeping the rhythmic contrast clear.
- Expand to four, then five notes.
- Work on dynamics: start soft, build up and ease off, almost like breathing in and out, while staying in time.
Questions about this lesson
What should I play instead of 1-5-8 in my left hand?
Try an open 9th voicing: the root, a perfect fifth above it, and another perfect fifth above that, such as Ab, Eb, Bb. On the final chord of a phrase, a 10th (a third played an octave higher) works well.
What is an open 9th voicing on piano?
It is two perfect fifths stacked, spanning a major 9th from the root, with no third. Because there is no third it is neither major nor minor, which gives an open, modern sound.
Why play clusters in the right hand and wide voicings in the left?
Close clusters sound muddy in the low register, while wide voicings stay clear there. Clusters sound bright and colourful higher up the keyboard.
What if I can't stretch a 9th or 10th?
Use the sustain pedal to hold the notes together as you play them one after another, and lift it at each chord change so the harmonies stay clean.
Practise it
- Voicing RoomA hands-on lesson room for piano chord voicings.
- Pop LessonsPractice companions for Jason Zac’s pop piano lessons: octave fillers, chord changes and inversions in every key.
- 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
- How to Make Left-Hand Piano Chords Sound HugeTo make left-hand piano chords sound huge without getting muddy, use a spread voicing: play the root, then the fifth, then the third an octave higher (a tenth), so F major becomes F C A and F minor becomes F C Ab.
- 3 Modern Piano Chord Voicings and Arpeggio SetsPlay a C7sus4 arpeggio (C F G Bb) in the right hand over C minor, Ab and F in the left hand, voiced three ways (sparse sevenths, open fifths with ninths, and jazz tensions), then group the arpeggio in sets of 2, 3, 4 or 5 while the beat stays divided into 4 or 3.
- 3 Piano Rhythm Techniques That Make Your Chords GrooveThe 3-3-2 piano rhythm groups eight eighth notes in a bar as 3+3+2, placing the hits on beat 1, the 'and' of beat 2 and beat 4, and you can play it as single chord hits, as accents within continuous eighth notes, or as arpeggios.
- 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.