Managing Transitions and Pachebel's Bass Line
- Sarah Lyngra
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Do you have students who come to you bouncing off the walls because they have already had a busy and over scheduled day? I do. For me, it's generally the younger ones and the ones who I suspect have ADHD.
After reading a chapter about managing transitions in Strong Ground, by Brené Brown, I shifted how I start lessons. For the first 5-7 minutes, I'm playing bass lines with chords while my students play improvised melodies. Playing Heart and Soul in G flat, for example, allows students to make music on black keys, which sounds pretty good.
At this point, I have around six different patterns that I play for improvising in different keys and different styles. This is fun, musical, relaxing, and ties in with being a happiness teacher who is interested in having students still play in 20 years.
One of the patterns I have been using is the chord pattern for Pachelbel's Canon. For improvising we start in C major, but of course. . . I do it in all keys for everyone at some point.
Last week (March 2026) a pair of sisters came in and played a song they made up. They're 10 and 11. The older one played one of the bass patterns I usually play, and her younger sister played a melody that she composed/improvised. It was amazing! How difficult would it be to teach younger students to play the bass lines, and keep a steady beat?
The major scale and Pachelbel
For ear training purposes, I often teach major scales where the 4th fingers in each hand are an octave apart on the tonic key of the scale. They use 4 fingers in both hands, cross the center line of the body, feel the geometrical difference of the scales, see the pattern of whole and half steps, and hear the pitches. Most students are comfortable enough with the idea that they can do it easily at home.
Here's what I saw last week when my students tried the Pachelbel pattern after playing the scales:
All of my students, without exception, were able to play the scales in all keys. (no surprise)
All of my students, without exception, were able to play the Pachelbel bass line pattern in C major, keeping a steady half note beat, and on repeat.
All of my students were able to play it in 3 different keys, while most were able to play it in all keys. We ran out of time during the lessons so they probably could have done more.
All were able to play the pattern keeping steady beats in half notes repeatedly, while I was playing either chords or improvised melodies at the same time.
To me this was unexpected. Keeping a repeated steady beat while someone else is playing can be difficult.
Singing the numbers of the scale degrees is ear training. These kids are developing both a vocabulary of chord progressions (6-2-5-1, 2-5-1-4, 1-6-4-5, etc) but also developing their ears.
See the lesson and download the pdf
I recorded a live streamed video playing both the scale and the Pachelbel bass in all 12 keys. The video's a little over half an hour, but it would only take 20 minutes or less to get through the actual exercise.
Here's the link to the lesson: https://youtube.com/live/mHHZY-HN32o?feature=share
Here's the pdf of the pattern:
All the materials mentioned in the video, including the 1 octave scale card are here:
I'd love to hear how this works for you!
Happy Playing!
Sarah
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