How To Play Piano Riffs!


Piano riffs! Using them makes your piano playing sound professional.




If you have played in a band, I am sure you would have realized that playing the rhythms become monotonous after some time.

It would be great to know some amazing “musical runs / short passages” which you can play from time to time to make it sound more interesting. Piano riffs should help you out!

  • Not Melodies!
    • A Piano riff is nothing but an impressive sounding musical ditty / pattern that you use as part of an accompaniment or as fillers between songs.

    They are not recognizable melodies as such and are basically used more as a decoration tool on the overall song.

  • Use in Public!
    • It is a handy tool to have in your repository since it easily impresses people who happen to be listening to you.

    If you are playing in a band, it is even more important to be able to play piano riffs; you can use them during breaks or you can use them for your solo part.

  • Build Repertoire!
    • Though some of the riffs may look very easy to play, you need to ensure that you observe the correct articulations and dynamics, which makes it a challenge to play riffs.

    As always, when learning new things, try learning each hand separately and once you are comfortable try both the hands together.

    Learn how to play piano riffs for various styles of music like rock, blues, boogie, etc. and make sure you always have a handful of those in your bags of tricks. I am sure nobody will see you as a novice once you can play riffs.


    Recommended Books

  • 100 Ultimate Blues Riffs for Piano/Keyboards (Book and CD)

  • Ultimate Latin Piano/Keyboard Riffs Book/audio CD

  • Intros, Endings and Turnarounds for Keyboard

  • Tons of Runs

  • 60 Of The Funkiest Keyboard Riffs Known To Mankind (Book&CD)

  • 100 Ultimate Jazz Riffs for Piano Keyboards
  • Country Riffs For Piano & Keyboards (Book/Audio CD Set)




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