{"id":4244,"date":"2021-06-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=4244"},"modified":"2023-01-12T13:43:24","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T21:43:24","slug":"guitar-riffs-on-piano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/guitar-riffs-on-piano\/","title":{"rendered":"Guitar Riffs That Sound Better on Piano"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You know them \u2014 famous, catchy guitar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/riffs-and-fills\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">riffs<\/a> from your favorite classic rock songs that make it <em>irresistible<\/em> to pull out the air-guitar and start shredding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re a rock music fan and a piano player, you might assume that these two things will never match. But they do! In fact, we believe (somewhat controversially!) that some guitar riffs sound even cooler on the piano&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surprised? Give these riffs a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Riff 1: Sweet Child O&#8217; Mine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\"><a href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/304613-resource-1623088739.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&lt;&lt;Download the FREE sheet music here!&gt;&gt;<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/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<div style=\"width:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:75%;position:relative;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/xUNd9UQwzAXteMP91S\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" style=\"position:absolute\" frameborder=\"0\" class=\"giphy-embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/gunsnroses-guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-xUNd9UQwzAXteMP91S\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\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<p>If the opening notes to this riff reminds you of fresh blue skies, you&#8217;re not alone. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1w7OgIMMRc4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Sweet Child O&#8217; Mine&#8221;<\/a> by Guns N&#8217; Roses sounds bright and energetic on Slash&#8217;s guitar. On the piano, it&#8217;s a little dreamier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This little riff requires some stretching, so it may take a little extra practice for beginners. But once you get the motion down, it just repeats and repeats!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just watch out for the changing whole note on the left hand. Otherwise, the right hand is exactly the same phrase repeated!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\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\/Guitar%20Riffs%20on%20Piano\/sweet%20child%20markup%20copy.png\" alt=\"Grand staff score of Sweet Child O' Mine riff with markup showing repeated motif and added fifths in left hand.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you know this riff, get creative. Try playing fifths on the left hand to give it that &#8220;rock&#8221; sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since this song is in D major, as long as you play D major diatonic chords, you&#8217;ll sound pretty good. So go forth and improvise around with a few different chords!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Riff 2: Stairway to Heaven<\/strong><\/h2>\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<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/304613-resource-1623088753.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&lt;&lt;Download the FREE sheet music here!&gt;&gt;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QkF3oxziUI4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Stairway to Heaven&#8221;<\/a> by Led Zeppelin is an absolute classic and has somewhat of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2014\/oct\/22\/stairway-to-heaven-unreleased-mix-led-zeppelin-iv-remastered\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mythic<\/a> reputation. From its unusual structure and lengthy duration to Jimmy Page&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/UqqKKa9AJK4?t=25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">iconic solo<\/a> at Madison Square Garden, &#8220;Stairway&#8221; has cemented itself as an influence on generations of musicians after Led Zep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And guess what? You don&#8217;t need a fancy double-necked Gibson to play this riff right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Really, it just sounds <em>so pretty<\/em> on the piano! To me, it sounds like it was lifted straight out of the Classical era rather than the 1970s.<\/p>\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\/Guitar%20Riffs%20on%20Piano\/led%20zep.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Plant and Jimmy Page on stage.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Photo: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jimsummariaphoto.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jim Summaria<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0,<\/a> via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Guitar%20Riffs%20on%20Piano\/stairway%20to%20heaven%20riff-compressed.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This beautiful, moody riff contains some chromatic (half-step) notes in the left hand, which gives it that haunting feel. Try playing this an octave above the original to create an even more wistful, more delicate atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Riff 3: Iron Man<\/strong><\/h2>\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\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\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\/Guitar%20Riffs%20on%20Piano\/Black%20Sabbath.jpg\" alt=\"Black Sabbath on stage - black and white photo. Man in white (Ozzy) raising his arms.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Black Sabbath at Madison Square Garden, 1977. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/84387357@N00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Whiskeygonebad<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/?ref=ccsearch&amp;atype=rich\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CC BY-NC-SA 2.0<\/a>, via Creative Commons<\/figcaption><\/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<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/304613-resource-1623088763.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&lt;&lt;Download the FREE sheet music here!&gt;&gt;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Black Sabbath on piano? Really?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it works! Our last tutorial will be on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5s7_WbiR79E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Iron Man&#8221;<\/a> by Black Sabbath. This growly, grungy song can be played like you remember it if you have a digital piano with the right tones, but even on a traditional piano, it sounds pretty nice. Almost hymn-like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our arrangement today, we&#8217;ve added some harmonizing notes to give the theme more &#8220;oomph.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/chord-hacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chords<\/a>, you can try harmonizing with chords too. The chords to this song goes: Bm &gt; Em &gt; Bm &gt; Em.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\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\/Guitar%20Riffs%20on%20Piano\/iron%20man%20markup.png\" alt=\"Markup of grand staff sheet music of Iron Man riff showing chord changes.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Do<\/em> these riffs sound better on the piano? Let us know if you agree or disagree by commenting below!<\/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>Dare we say some famous guitar riffs sound better on the piano? Try it yourself! Songs: Sweet Child o&#8217; Mine, Stairway to Heaven, Iron Man<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":4266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1105,508],"tags":[1086],"class_list":["post-4244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-rock","category-song-tutorials","tag-l3s"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4244","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=4244"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10748,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4244\/revisions\/10748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}