RIFFING PRO, WELCOME!

RuthPower

vkisamore Hi Val - once you get into the bass riffs you can start mixing them with the chord riffs - that's when it starts to get tricky! So, enjoy the simplicity for now 😏

RuthPower

@alexx88 @celiajoy @vkisamore you guys are fabulous! Yes - random chord generator is a really great way to challenge yourself flipping through chords & keys with those rhythms. As Val mentioned, once Bass Riffs comes out you can start to play those together, which will mean lots of different combos.
Voice-lead wherever possible too - because the more you do it the easier it will flow - which means one less thing to think about while you're challenging yourself with the rhythms!
Also the great thing about that website - chordchord.com is it basically makes a backing track for you when you select the drums or pads, so nice and easy to play along - especially @alexx88 who wants to play with others!!! Although, I do think we should get you guys all collaborating on a track together! Ideas for future Random Riff Challenges!!!! 😱

alexx88

vkisamore Val, using the Random Chord Generator to re-do the chord riffs was Ruth's idea. I'm going to work on that today. I like your idea about chatting about our progress. I think that will help us feel like we're not out here on our own as we try to do this. Especially if we're having trouble with something & feeling lost. I'm looking forward to the bass riffs because I feel like I'm in a rut doing the same old stuff over & over. I definitely need more interesting bass line rhythms & patterns.

LOL,thanks for the vote of confidence in my skills! I'm definitely a work in progress. Learning & pushing the envelope. We all have struggle areas & confidence areas, so I think this forum is good. We can learn off each other. Even if it's a "glad I'm not the only one" moment, to keep us going through the frustrating times!

RuthPower Mixing bass riffs & chord riffs! I hadn't even thought of that concept in that way, but I guess that IS what we do & strive for. Seeing it written like that though is 😵😱

alexx88

Hey everyone! Been thinking of this as I'm going through the chord riff modules. I can do them all no problem. Next step is to try them with the random chord generator. Not anticipating any concerns there. In fact I'm hoping it will throw in some less used keys to help with chord progression familiarity.

I can't stop thinking though, how am I going to remember these riffs for the future. It's easy while looking at the cheatsheet, or listening to the video/practice track.

Where & how to implement them in a song that's already written? This keeps invading my brain. I can see if I was composing, then I could use it as a reference/guide to help.

I know I can add stuff when there are breaks in the lyrics & for instrumental/solo sections. Is that just all there is to it?

I'm also thinking that I need to always be thinking of patterns & what can work where, so I don't get into future ruts of same ol' same ol', but with "new" tricks lol

RuthPower

alexx88 Hi Alexx! Great to hear you're enjoying it so far! In terms of remembering... here are my thoughts:
You're not expected to memorise every single one - though doing all the various exercises and challenges as the course goes on is going to help put it into your memory - you're never going to be given a pop-quiz of "Please name all 60 Riffs and play from start to finish"..😱
BUT the more these rhythms sink in and you try to purposefully include them when you are in a situation for riffing - (which is anything where you want to play creatively) the more those rhythms will start to become second nature and embedded in your natural 'riff-ertoire'.
So even though you might not remember all 60, all the time - you'll find that a few of them that make an impression on you, or that you liked the most, will surface when you need a riff.
To begin with, it is about including them in your creative playing purposefully - so when you are playing from a leadsheet - you might see an opportunity to use a bass riff rather than the same old bass notes that you're used to - or likewise with a chord riff... as you go on through the course, you might find that using a melodic or supportive riff is perfect for accompanying singing, or creating a improvised solo - each new section in the course has a slightly different purpose and that is explained as you go through each module!

vkisamore

Hi Adrianne, Celia, and Alexx, I take back saying that the first bit of riffing is easy peasy now that I am trying to do both chord progressions 1 6 4 5 and 1 5 4 1 in every key and and every inversion using the syncopated rhythms without having bumpy patches when I move to new inversions. This is enough of a challenge to keep me going for awhile, but I think some muscle memory may kick in soon 🙂 I also invented my own 4/4 riffing rhythm which is and eighth, a quarter, 2 eighths, a quarter and lastly an eighth note. Give it a try !

alexx88

AdrianneG Hi & Welcome Adrianne! I also really excited about Riffing Pro, & playing freely. Looks like you, Celia, Val & I will be busy this week running our new chord riffs with chord chord.com! 😆

alexx88

RuthPower This makes sense. I kind of figured there would be some that I would really like & would remember. I think I’ll try to come up with a hard copy Riff Folder. I’ll put the cheat sheet in there, & other stuff I come up with or across. This way every now & then I’ll be able to look through it till I really get used to throwing them in here & there, & start remembering them.

Bev

Ok guys, Here's my bit that may help other beginners feel more comfortable. First, it's really fun to follow comments from those who play far better than I, & I promised Ruth I'd stop comparing my progress to theirs. That said, those first right hand chord progressions are HARD! I have always played left hand chords, & find I can actually do the inversion exercises —i'm talking about those first 3 exercises up thru Doo-wop progression— in tempo, with my left hand. I dropped back to that for a minute, because I am having such a tough time finding the inversions in my right hand and getting all 3 notes to play at once. My left hand follows my instructions much better than the right; I've never asked my right hand to play other than a single note at a time. I may be in this first lesson for quite awhile. Had to set the metronome back to 52 to get that progression at tempo, and will not go further until I can play at Ruth's exercise tempos consistently. I'll let you all know when I get there, but it may be a week or more. Sigh.

RuthPower

Bev BEV!! This is so important, thank you for sharing! It's good to remind ourselves that everyone is at a different level – though I get loads of requests for more advanced stuff, it's important to me that I don't leave anyone with giant ??? hanging over their heads either! So thank you for sharing that - I'm glad it's hard (because that's how you'll grow) but what you are doing to work through it is super important (ie, to not just play each riff like a tiny piece of sheet music and move on) - by working through the different chords, chord progressions & keys, and even faster tempos, it will solidify in your repertoire as something that you can apply to loads of scenarios.

alexx88

RuthPower I'm glad you mentioned different keys & different tempos. I started working with the chord generator & playing through the chord riffs, which is pretty cool & somewhat of a black hole lol!

I totally forgot about going through the different keys & using the same 1 6 4 5 chord progression to get to the point where the less commonly used keys just roll off my fingers quickly without a lot of thought.

There is just SO much that can be done & to learn on the path to playing more creatively & freely.

Bev

RuthPower Finally! Got to the Voice leading lesson, and discovered that it's actually what I've been doing. One of the first things I do when i'm trying to learn a new song for piano is figure out the easiest way to get from 1 chord to the next; I had no idea it was called "‘Voice leading."

My piano progress reminds me of the phrase from Edgar Allen Poe, "...Slowly I turn...," but it is, at least forward progress.🙂

I'm so impressed with the others here that I have to keep reminding myself that I'm a vocalist just learning piano, not a pianist who is learning new techniques. Big difference. You women are awesome!

Ruth, so glad I signed on for yearly; it'll likely take me a year to get through "‘Riffing Pro." 🤪

RuthPower

ALSO - THE BASS RIFFS MODULE HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED!

celiajoy

RuthPower perfect timing - I just finished going through the first module today! 🥳

so I have been using chord chord to generate random chord progressions to practice voice leading the riffs - and I have realized something about 7 chords, I prefer to play (most of) them in root position, esp if it’s a maj-7, because I like those major 7ths farther apart, rather than a half-step apart. So then I find I’m working the voice-leading around to suit those.

do you find you have favorite inversions for certain chords ? Or do you have a different tip for voice leading when it comes to chords with the 7th added?

alexx88

RuthPower I feel like I want more time to play with just the chord riffs a little longer, but I'm also anxious to get working with bass riffs. I have an easier time putting interest in the right hand than I do the left hand, so I'm excited about different LH options. Oh the quandary!! lol

alexx88

celiajoy I definitely have favorite inversions of chords. For me it's mainly a sound thing.

For me, some chords just sound better in inversions, & some chords the song will dictate which inversion to use. In some songs, the root or a particular inversion just won't sound "right" to the ear. Sometimes you're playing a chord in the melody, & then it has to be a certain inversion/position.

I do the same with the 7's. It's all how it sounds for me, but I do have my faves. I will always play a D7 with the C on the bottom, but a C7, I'll put the B on top or in the middle. Sometimes I just go with the closest inversion, & leave the 5th out because it will still have that 7 feel. I don't play a lot of jazz, but M7's for me always feel like they do best in root position, but there are some that can be done in inversions.

RuthPower

celiajoy oh perfect! Yes - so often with seventh chords I find that I will leave out the root note entirely - then it gives you a bit more choice in terms of inversions because as you said that minor 2nd clash isn't very nice. The LH will generally be filling in that root note so it is already established!

@alexx88 So glad that you are digging in deep with these! You are going to get so much out of it this way! You'll also realise little things as you go along, how the 2 hands interact with each other - the 'conversations' is a major part of sinking into those rhythms and really feeling them. Take your time with the chord riffs- just go to the next module when you're ready, not meant to hurry you guys at all!

AdrianneG oh wow you are speedy! Good to hear you are going to go through again, that's a good idea. Yes the syncopation is where all the fun is! That's a good idea to put it into a known song - I'll see what I can do next time I'm filming a YouTube video - for copyright reasons I can't do a song cover within the actual course but we might be able to work around.

AdrianneG

Not to try to be an "over-achiever", but I just worked my way through the Bass Riffs module (I know, I'm always a little over anxious). But I'm not trying to rush through them, just curious to see what's included. I will definitely work through them all again, and try them with different chord progressions. The "Doo-Wop" progression is now so easy but a great one to use at first so I don't have to think so much about what my right hand is doing. I did play the chords in the right hand while working through the Bass Riffs. I particularly like the syncopated riffs...they're a bit challenging at first but I can soon get into the rhythm. @RuthPower I also loved that you included a complete demonstration of all the riffs at the end of the module. It would also be great to see how the riffs we're learning are actually used in songs.

vkisamore

Just started the bass riffs. I've been walking around the house clapping them out! Especially clave, which I tend to mess up. This is fun. Still working on the melodic riffs in every key and inversion, but now I have some cool bass riffs to throw in there. It will be fun to start combining everything. I find it so helpful to count out loud. Do you guys count out loud? You are all doing great.
Hi Bev. You are doing great. I keep going back through everything so far. There's always room for exploration and improvement.
Hi everyone else!
Keep playing it like you mean it.
PS. Ruth, what fun stuff are you playing right now for your own personal enjoyment?

RuthPower

vkisamore Val - thank you for asking about what I'm playing at the moment! I'm actually having a lot of fun getting used to playing THE BLUES! It's prep for coaching that I'm doing for Musical U this month, also prep for the monthly coaching for Creative Pianists in March! So it's technically 'work' but I'm having SO much fun with it! I haven't spent much time playing blues before, here and there dabbling - but sitting down and really coming to grips with it I have to admit.. I'm hooked!

AdrianneG

@vkisamore Hi Val, I DO count out the rhythm out loud, at first, especially for the syncopated rhythms. It helps me get a better sense of whether I'm playing on the 1, 2, 3, or 4 beats, or the "&" of the beat, and really get it under my hands. But once I get into a groove it becomes more natural and I don't have to count anymore.

I haven't yet put any of the chord riffs with the bass riffs. That will certainly be a rhythmic challenge and a good exercise in hand independence, and I'm sure counting out loud will help. Sounds like you're having fun with the course, as am I!

vkisamore

I wonder how crazy I'll go if I try to play 2 different syncopated rhythms at the same time. Right now one hand uses a syncopated rhythm and the other just uses whole, half, or quarter notes so that I don't have to overthink.
I like how the practice sessions are set up. Listen to Ruth demonstrate, play along, and then play alone. What do you all think, and do any of you have backing tracks that you try that are different than the ones Ruth has. I haven't tried to play with backing tracks before. I think it will add interest and help improve listening skills.

« Previous Page Next Page »