How to Play 5 Famous Piano Riffs by Female Musicians
Jason Zac breaks down the chords, voicings, riffs and rhythm patterns of five piano-led songs: Fallin' by Alicia Keys, cardigan by Taylor Swift, Love Song by Sara Bareilles, Don't Know Why by Norah Jones and Walking on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox.
Key points
- Fallin' uses Em and Bm7 in a 6/8 low-middle-high-high-middle-low arpeggio.
- cardigan pairs a sustained root-chord-chord bass pattern with a sixteenth-note swing hook.
- Love Song splits each chord pair 3+1, with passing slash chords leading to landing chords.
- Don't Know Why uses sparse voicings built on the third and seventh of each chord.
- Walking on Broken Glass relies on octave jumps and off-beat C major voicings.
This lesson celebrates five singer-songwriters who sing while playing inventive piano parts. For each song, Jason Zac covers the hook, chords, voicings and rhythm pattern, at levels suited to beginners and to players who know the songs but missed the details.
Fallin' by Alicia Keys
The song uses two chords: E minor (G B E) and B minor 7. With B in the bass, the right hand plays A D F# the first time and F# A D the second time. Think of it as a D major triad over a B bass.
The verse is a 6/8 arpeggio. Name the three chord notes low, middle and high, then play L M H H M L, which for E minor is G B E E B G over an E bass. Shape the dynamics like a hill, getting gradually louder and then softer.
In the chorus the chords become block hits, with E minor voiced higher as B D G. The left hand plays first and the right hand fills the remaining pulses of the six. The phrase ends on a short, staccato tension chord: A, D, D# and G over B, which works as a B7 with a sharp nine and a sharp five.
Alicia also decorates B minor by playing its inversions down from a top B. In some live endings she swaps B minor 7 for B7b9, which is a B bass under a diminished seventh (A C Eb F#).
cardigan by Taylor Swift
The chords are F minor (C F Ab), Bb (D F Bb), Ab (C Eb Ab), then Bb again. The song is in Eb major, and the chorus lifts by landing on Eb.
- Bass technique: hold the sustain pedal, play the root low, then play the chord twice above it. Bass octaves add depth.
- Feel: the groove has a sixteenth-note swing.
- Hook: the right-hand phrases start with the thumb on C, and the Ab chord gets an extra top G. The piano speaks first and the voice answers, so practise the two together.
Love Song by Sara Bareilles
Each pair of chords is split three beats plus one beat. The one-beat chord is a passing chord that leads to a stable landing chord:
- G minor (3), F/A (1)
- Bb sus2, played Bb C F (3), C played G C E over C (1)
- D minor (3), C/E (1)
- F (3), D/F# (1), then back to G minor
The bass climbs steadily. The key is F major. D/F# is a secondary dominant that pulls back to G minor.
For the rhythm, the right hand pumps steady quarter notes. The left hand is syncopated, sliding in on the 'and' of beat three before the passing chord. Passing bass notes are played legato and downbeats are played staccato. To finish, Sara plays a crisp G–C# tritone that returns to G.
Don't Know Why by Norah Jones
The progression is a descending walking line voiced sparsely. The voicings focus on the third and seventh, leaving the root to the bass and often dropping the fifth.
- Bbmaj7: Bb D A, then Bb7: Bb D Ab
- Ebmaj7: Eb Bb D G
- D7: D A C F#
- Gm7: G Bb F, then C7: C G Bb E
- F7sus4: F Bb Eb, resolving to a plain Bb major
For rhythm, let one hand move while the other holds. For example, the left hand can play roots and fifths under held right-hand chords. In the B section you play Gm7, then a C7 with an added 13th (built from C Bb E), then a lick of your choice over F7.
Walking on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox
The intro hook can be played in the right hand alone using octave jumps:
- C, G, then an E octave
- F, A, then an F octave
- E and C together, then a single G
- End on an octave D
The synth chord hook sits almost entirely on the off-beats, so count in eighth notes. It moves through different C major voicings, including G C E over C and C E G over E. It visits F (C F A over F) and ends on a G major chord (D G B), the dominant that pulls back home.
How to practise
Learn each song's chords as block shapes first, then add the pattern slowly. Count aloud: six for Fallin', 'and's for the off-beat parts. Once both hands are steady, add the vocal line.
Questions about this lesson
What are the chords in Fallin' by Alicia Keys?
The song is built on E minor and B minor 7. B minor 7 is played as a D major triad (A D F# or F# A D) over a B bass.
Why do some chords in Love Song last only one beat?
They are passing chords, such as F/A, C/E and D/F#, whose notes lead into the next, more stable landing chord. Each pair of chords is split three beats plus one beat.
How should I voice jazzy chords like those in Don't Know Why?
Keep the third and the seventh, which carry the colour of the chord. Let the bass take the root, and the fifth can often be left out.
What key is cardigan in?
cardigan is in Eb major. The verse cycles through F minor, Bb, Ab and Bb, and the chorus lifts by landing on Eb.
Practise it
- Voicing RoomA hands-on lesson room for piano chord voicings.
- Pop LessonsPractice companions for Jason Zac’s pop piano lessons: octave fillers, chord changes and inversions in every key.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
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