How to Play Rock Piano: Bass Riff With Pulse Chords (Part 1)
To play rock piano with pulse chords, learn an E Mixolydian bass riff (built from the root, 5th, flat 7th and octave) in the left hand, then play steady quarter-note block chords B-D-E and B-C#-E in the right hand, two bars each, counting slowly until both hands lock together.
Key points
- The left-hand riff uses the root, 5th, flat 7th and octave of E Mixolydian (E, B, D, E).
- Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th, which is the classic sound of rock riffs.
- Right-hand pulse chords B-D-E and B-C#-E are played as quarter notes, two bars each.
- The riff falls on many off-beats while the chords stay on the beats, which builds hand independence.
- Practise slowly, count aloud, saturate your mind, sleep on it and return the next day.
This is the first part of a four-part rock piano series by Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music. It teaches a groovy classic rock bass riff, normally played on bass guitar, in your left hand, and then pairs it with simple pulse chords in your right hand. It suits pianists who can already play basic chords and want to build hand independence in an 80s glam rock style, the sound of bands like Toto, Bon Jovi, Journey and Kansas.
The unusual idea here is swapping roles. Usually the left hand keeps the pulse while the right hand plays the interesting part. In this lesson the left hand plays the busy riff and the right hand keeps the pulse.
Step 1: Learn the bass riff in E
The riff is in E, a guitar-friendly key, and uses very few notes. Think of it in intervals, not just note names, because that is how bass lines are composed. The riff repeats the root (1) several times, then moves through the 5th, the flat 7th and the octave before returning to the root. In E, those notes are E, B, D and the higher E.
A useful habit: the first beat of the bar usually gets the deepest, lowest note, and the rest of the line plays around it. Even a simple line of octaves, played with your thumb and little finger, can sound catchy. Give the E a strong lift-off so the riff feels energetic.
Why it sounds like rock: the Mixolydian scale
The riff comes from E Mixolydian, which is the E major scale with a flat 7th: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D. Instead of the major scale's D#, you lower it a semitone to D. Rock riffs and bass lines almost always use this flat 7th; a major 7th is rare in rock. The 3rd may be major or minor depending on the lyrics and mood of the song.
The riff stays exactly the same through all four parts of the series.
Step 2: Right-hand pulse chords
Variation 1 in the right hand is a pair of block chords:
- B-D-E: over an E bass this is a rock voicing of E dominant seventh (5th, flat 7th and root, with no 3rd).
- B-C#-E: dropping the D down to C# adds a slightly mysterious major sixth colour over E.
Play each chord as steady quarter notes, four per bar, for two bars each, then switch. These voicings are typical of rock rather than pop or classical styles.
What the pulse really is
The pulse is the way a listener's head and body move naturally and regularly to the music. Let your own head move with the beat and have your right hand copy that motion. If you cannot feel the pulse yourself, the audience will not feel it either.
Step 3: Put the hands together
- First, keep a simple left hand, just a held or repeated E, while you get comfortable with the right-hand chords. You can even sing along.
- Then add the riff. Many of its notes fall on the ands (the off-beats), while the right hand plays only on the beats. That mismatch is exactly what makes coordination hard, and also what makes people dance.
- If it helps, write both clefs out to see where the hands line up, but then play very slowly and count aloud: one and two and three and four and.
How to practise
- Go super slow. Close your eyes or use whatever facial expression helps you concentrate and feel the beats passing.
- Practise until your mind feels saturated, not burnt out, then stop for the day and do something else.
- Before sleeping, visualise both hands playing it correctly. Your subconscious keeps working overnight.
- Return the next day with the same intensity. Do not take a week off, or you will be back to square one. What took an hour often comes back in minutes.
Later parts of the series add accent groupings, arpeggios in groups of three, glam rock synth and guitar-style parts, and an Indian-flavoured fusion lick over the same riff.
Questions about this lesson
What scale does this rock bass riff use?
It uses E Mixolydian, which is the E major scale with the 7th lowered from D# to D. The flat 7th is what gives rock riffs their typical sound.
What chords does the right hand play?
The right hand plays B-D-E, a rock voicing of E7, and B-C#-E, which adds a major sixth colour over E. Each is played as steady quarter notes for two bars.
Why is it hard to play the riff and the pulse chords together?
The bass riff lands on many off-beats, the ands, while the right hand plays only on the beats. Counting one and two and three and four and very slowly helps the hands line up.
What should I do if I can't get both hands together on the first day?
Practise until your mind feels saturated but not burnt out, then stop and rest. Visualise playing it before you sleep and practise again the next day rather than taking a long break.
Practise it
- Voicing RoomA hands-on lesson room for piano chord voicings.
- Groove MetronomeWork with tempo, accents and polyrhythms instead of a single unchanging click.
- 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.
Related lessons
- Piano Hand Independence: Steady Right-Hand Pulse Over a Left-Hand Bass LineTo build piano hand independence, keep a steady, accented chord pulse in the right hand on C7 and F9 while the left hand plays a bass line built from the root, octave and fifth, with occasional chromatic passing notes.
- Chic's Good Times on Piano: The Disco Groove for Both HandsTo play Chic's Good Times on piano, put the bass guitar line in your left hand, counted in sixteenths around E and A from the E Dorian scale, and play rootless Em7 (B D G) and A (C# F# A) voicings with short licks in your right hand, without sustain pedal.
- Left-Hand Independence on Piano: The Starter ExerciseTo build left-hand independence on piano, hold the bass note G down with your left little finger while your other fingers play a swung eighth-note broken G minor chord pattern, then move only the little finger between G and F while the rest of the chord stays the same.
- The Left-Hand Bass Line Every Piano Player Should Know (4 Chords)To build a left-hand piano bass line, land on the root or bass note of each chord on beat one and use passing notes, such as the chromatic climb C, D, D#, E into C7/E, to connect the chords in between.