How to Play Rock Piano: Glam Rock Riff with Quick Plagal Cadence Chord Changes

In this glam rock piano lesson, the right hand moves quickly between A major and E major inversions, a IV–I plagal (amen) cadence, in a syncopated rhythm while the left hand holds the classic rock bass riff on E.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 17 min

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This is part three of Jason Zac's four-part classic rock piano series. The left-hand bass riff stays the same throughout. This part adds quick chord shifting in the right hand using the plagal cadence, often called the amen cadence, in a sound that recalls 80s glam rock. It suits players who already know the bass riff from part one and want to build hand independence and inversion skills.

The chords: A major to E major

The right hand moves between A major (A C# E) and E major (E G# B). In the key of E, A is the IV chord, so A to E is a IV–I plagal cadence. It works in E major and in E Mixolydian, which is why it sounds so rock and roll.

Smooth inversions

Jason's favourite voicing is:

• A major as C# E A (first inversion).
• E major as B E G# (second inversion), with the ring finger on G#.

The E stays in the same place, so the move is small. For A, use the thumb on C#, or some players prefer the index finger. For E, use thumb, middle and ring, or thumb, index and ring. Whichever finger sits on the shared E in the first chord, keep it there for the second. If your hands are larger, you can also leave the thumb out of the first chord.

Because of inversions, there are always three ways to move between two chords. Another option is root-position A (A C# E) moving to first-inversion E (G# B E). Try all three and pick what feels best.

The right-hand rhythm

The shifting is not the main point. The rhythm pattern should come first in your mind. Count every bar as one and two and three and four and.

• Bar one: the chord hits fall on a syncopated mix of beats and offbeats.
• Bar two: this bar is trickier. The last chord comes just before the next bar and is tied over. Hold it, and do not play again on beat one of the following bar.
• Free bar: there is a stray bar. Sing something there or get a little creative so you stay inside the music.

How to practise it

1. Get the chord shapes and the A-to-E shift smooth on their own.
2. Play the right-hand rhythm over a simple pulse in the left hand. Do bar one first, then bar two, then both together.
3. Swap the pulse for the full classic rock bass riff. Start with one bar of the right hand, leave a gap, then fill out the whole pattern.
4. Once it is solid, play around with the rhythm and improvise. It makes a good 15 to 20 minute solo jam.

If you find yourself changing the bass to fit the right hand, your coordination is not there yet. Keep the riff steady and keep practising. Jason stresses that hand independence is about confidence that grows over weeks and months. Do not chase a list of goals. Enjoy the process.

Plagal cadences in other keys

Transpose the idea to hear the IV–I sound elsewhere:

• In D major, the IV is G, so play G to D.
• In C major, the IV is F, so play F to C.

In this rock setting, the bass stays on E as a pivot. The A chord over E is really A/E, and the riff itself works as an E drone. You can move the whole riff and its chords to D. You can also keep the E bass and lay other plagal pairs on top, such as G to D, for an ambient, interesting colour.

An easy way to find any plagal cadence is the circle of fifths. Take the counterclockwise neighbour of your home chord:

• F is the neighbour of C.
• A is the neighbour of E.
• G is the neighbour of D.

Played this way, the cadence makes a section sound finished, whether it is a verse, chorus or bridge.

Questions about this lesson

What is a plagal cadence on the piano?

It is the move from the IV chord to the I chord, also called the amen cadence. In E it is A major to E major, in D it is G to D, and in C it is F to C.

Which inversions make the A to E change easiest?

Try A major as C# E A moving to E major as B E G#, keeping the common E under the same finger. Root-position A moving to first-inversion E (G# B E) also works well.

Why does the A chord sound like A/E in this riff?

The left-hand rock riff keeps E in the bass as a pivot or drone. So the A chord is played over an E bass, which makes it an A/E slash chord.

How should I practise the right-hand rhythm with the bass riff?

First play the rhythm over a simple left-hand pulse, one bar at a time. Then switch to the full bass riff, starting with a single bar of right hand before filling out the whole pattern.

Practise it

• Cadence LibraryCompare piano cadences across keys and listen to how different chord movements create closure, suspense or a turn in a new direction.
• Circle of FifthsExplore the Circle of Fifths through keys, scales, chords and intervals.
• 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

• Master Chord Inversions, Rhythm and Hand Independence in One Piano ExercisePlay the I–vi–ii–V progression (G, Em, Am, D in G major) with the smoothest inversions, alternating an eighth-note arpeggio with quarter-note block chords, and keep climbing until you land on G major an octave higher.
• 10 Rhythm Patterns That Make Chord Inversions EasyTo make chord inversions musical, play the root position, first inversion and second inversion of a triad such as Bb major or C major through real rhythm patterns like block chords, oom-pah, waltz, broken chords, arpeggios, the tresillo, the Charleston, dual-speed arpeggios and floating inversions.
• 3 Piano Rhythm Techniques That Make Your Chords GrooveThe 3-3-2 piano rhythm groups eight eighth notes in a bar as 3+3+2, placing the hits on beat 1, the 'and' of beat 2 and beat 4, and you can play it as single chord hits, as accents within continuous eighth notes, or as arpeggios.
• 7 Methods to Achieve Real Hand Independence on the PianoTo build hand independence on the piano, keep the left-hand pattern fixed and simplify the right hand instead. Start with simple note values, sing the melody before playing it, talk while playing, practise in small pieces, isolate the melody's rhythm, play along with drums, and use notation only to find tricky alignments.