{"id":4155,"date":"2021-06-18T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=4155"},"modified":"2023-01-11T14:32:31","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T22:32:31","slug":"easy-riffs-and-fills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/easy-riffs-and-fills\/","title":{"rendered":"Riffs and Fills Made Easy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Riffs and fills are what take your piano-playing to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s face it: chording is great \u2014 everything sounds nice and <em>right <\/em>\u2014 but adding an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/riffs-and-fills\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extra riff or fill<\/a> makes a big difference. It fleshes out the song and is the difference between good piano players and <em>great<\/em> piano players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this lesson, I&#8217;ll show you how to integrate a simple fill between your chords that will add colour to your playing. I&#8217;ll also break down, in detail, exactly how this fill works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll be using &#8220;Always Remember Us This Way&#8221; by Lady Gaga, but this fill can work in lots of pop songs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/298764-resource-1618350879.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&lt;&lt; Download the FREE lead sheet for &#8220;Always Remember Us This Way&#8221; Here! &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>The Chord Progression<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the chord progression we&#8217;ll use in &#8220;Always Remember Us This Way&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-large-font-size\" style=\"color:#f61a30\"><strong>Am &#8211; F &#8211; C\/G &#8211; G<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here are the notes to each chord in root position:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/riff-fills%20chords%201%20-%20compressed2.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll be using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-inversions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inversions<\/a> here and there in this tutorial, but if you don&#8217;t know how to use inversions yet, don&#8217;t worry. These fills still work with root position chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83d\udd25\ud83c\udfb9 <b><i>HOT TIP!<\/i><\/b> C\/G is a slash chord. We play a regular C major chord in the video, but if you want to play the original slash chord, all you have to do is play a C major triad on your right hand and G as your bass note on your left. Learn more about slash chords <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/slash-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>The Fill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For this lesson, we&#8217;ll play a simple fill that uses the first three notes of our chord shape. So, in A minor, it&#8217;ll look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/riff%20roll%20-%20compressed.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<p>This works with any of the root position chords in this song. Just roll through those notes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to &#8220;roll into&#8221; the downbeat. Practice this a few times. Then, when you&#8217;re ready, fluff out the fill by making it a turnaround like this example in A minor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/bigger%20fill%20-%20compressed.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;re essentially playing an Amin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/sus-piano-chords-101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sus2<\/a> chord between regular Amin chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>How to Use the Fill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we know how to play the fill, when do we play it to make our song sound awesome?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I like to play fills like these at the <em>end<\/em> of the measure. I think it sounds too busy to add in the beginning of a measure, but when we get to the end, the fill gently transitions us to the next chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">The Math Behind the Fill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We understand many of you love diving deep into the theory, so here&#8217;s the explanation behind the timing of this fill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Always Remember Us This Way&#8221; is in 4\/4 (&#8220;common&#8221;) time. In 4\/4 time, there are four beats per measure. So, we can count the rhythm of this song like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/4-4%20quarter%20with%20counting.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>(The vertical black lines represent bar lines.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can further sub-divide our counting (1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 etc.) like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/4-4%2016th%20notes%20with%20counting.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the equivalent of breaking down each quarter note of a 4\/4 measure into four sixteenth notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Phrasing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you listen to the song a few times, you&#8217;ll find that each group of four measures naturally sound like one phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/quarter%20note%20chords%20labelled.png\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">1 complete phrase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Inserting a fill between phrases makes each phrase sound more complete. So, if we add four notes of a fill into the last beat of the last measure, what we&#8217;re essentially doing is adding four sixteenth notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/complete%20phrase%20with%20pizzaz.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of the lead sheet, this is where we add the fill:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/lead%20sheet%20with%20pizzaz.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, if this detailed, math-y rhythm breakdown makes things more confusing to you, but you intuitively understand the rhythm behind the riff, don&#8217;t worry too much about it. We each learn in unique ways \u2014 some people may find a thorough breakdown useful, while others prefer to intuitively feel things out. And that&#8217;s okay!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>&#8220;Fair Game&#8221; Notes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One more thing I want to leave you with&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>All notes within the scale of the key are fair game!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>What does this mean? Well, we&#8217;re in the key of A minor. The notes in the A minor scale are A-B-C-D-E-F-G (no sharps or flats). This means <em>all<\/em> the white keys will sound good as riffs and fills for this song in A minor!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I encourage you to slowly branch out across these notes and experiment. Sometimes you&#8217;ll make bad sounds (it just happens), but with practice, you&#8217;ll build confidence and learn to trust that you&#8217;ll make good sounds \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Color outside the lines!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that I&#8217;ve showed you where it makes sense to put a fill, add it elsewhere! You can see an example of this in the video where I add even <em>more<\/em> embellishments outside the end of the phrase. Experiment with what sounds good to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of it this way: 4\/4 quarter-note chords are the cake; anything else is the icing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/plain%20round%20cake.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/4-4%20quarter%20with%20counting.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/decorated%20round%20cake.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Riffs%20and%20Fills%20Made%20Easy\/pizzaz%203%20copy.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, remember to have a tasty icing-to-cake ratio! Use riffs and fills <em>sparingly<\/em> \u2014 just like having way too much icing on your cake can be overwhelming, there can be too much of a good thing \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add an extra ~pizzaz~ to your piano playing by adding riffs and fills to your chords. Here&#8217;s the breakdown for a simple riff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":4192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110,1108],"tags":[1088],"class_list":["post-4155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-improvisation-musicianship","category-musicianship","tag-ch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4155"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10640,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4155\/revisions\/10640"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}