How One Simple Trick Turns Basic Chords Into Legendary Riffs
The Power of Patterns
Timing is everything. In life, but maybe even more so in music.
When people think about learning to play the piano, they often focus on the what—which notes to play. But without rhythm, without a clear sense of when to play those notes, they don’t amount to much.
Think about it: if you played a song’s chords in the correct order but without any sense of rhythm, would it even be recognizable? Probably not. That’s because patterns—the rhythm and technique behind the notes—are what transform simple chords into iconic grooves, riffs, and melodies.
Moreover - patterns are so powerful that they are capable of turning even the most mundane set of Chords into absolute killer riffs.
Today, we’re breaking down the power of patterns and why they’re the key to unlocking great piano playing. And what better way to prove this than by looking at one of the most iconic intros in pop music:
Toto’s “Africa.”
You’re Focusing on the Wrong Thing
Most people learning piano spend a lot of time memorizing which notes to play. While that’s important, it’s only half of the equation. The real magic comes from how and when you play those notes. Without rhythmic information, notes are just static sounds with no direction.
A great example? The main riff of Toto’s “Africa.”
At its core, the first part of the groove is built on a simple three-chord progression - A, E/G#, C#m(7).
Just laying down these chords one after another, without any pattern and it sounds ok, but nothing particularly special—just another progression.
But apply the iconic rhythmical pattern to them, and suddenly, you get that unmistakable groove.
The difference? The pattern.
Understanding the M.A.L. Framework: Chords & Patterns
At the heart of my approach to pop-piano is the M.A.L. Framework (Music as a Language).
In this system, there are two fundamental pillars to playing music fluently:
- Chords – The what (which notes to play)
- Patterns – The how (when and how to play them)
Think of it like speaking a language. Chords are the words you use, but patterns are how you pronounce, conjugate and structure them into sentences. If you just memorize words but don’t know how to apply correct grammar for building sentences, and speak them with rhythm and inflection, communication falls flat.
Patterns are essentially rhythmic accents that bring music to life. They dictate:
- The melodic flow
- The groove
- Whether something feels static, dynamic, mellow, upbeat, fast, slow.
- Patterns don’t just shape the music—they define it. Without rhythm, we only have
half the information. A part isn’t truly that part without its rhythmic identity. More on
that in a moment.
And this isn’t just for playing full harmonies—melodies, riffs, fills, and even licks all follow the
same principle (and - on the notes-side - are all also underpinned by Chords).
Turning Simple Chords into Iconic Riffs
Let’s break how you can apply the power of patterns yourself down into a simple, step-by-step process:
Step 1: Find the Chords
Start with the raw harmonic foundation. Identify the chord progression you want to work with.
In “Africa,” the opening groove is built on just three chords - A, E/G#, C#m(7)
Step 2: Play Them on the Changes
First, just play the chords when the harmony shifts. No rhythm yet (although changing the chord where it needs to be changed still holds rhythmical information, but let's not get nit-picky here)—just focus on when the chords change.
Step 3: Clap the Rhythm
Before applying it to the piano, internalize the groove. Clap along with the track or count out the accents in time. I always suggest to FIRST get a good feel of the main, or "strong" beats - quarters, eighths, sixteenths- clapping those (preferably along with the track) and THEN the accents of the actual groove.
Step 4: Tap the Rhythm
a. Once you’ve got the clapping down, try tapping the rhythm. First with one hand, then
with both.
b. Optional - When you got the accents of your riff / groove down, try both hands—one hand playing the strong beats and the other filling in accents (not necessary for playing "Africa" btw. but a nice little independence exercise - this strengthens your internal timing and control, making complex grooves easier to execute).
Step 5: Play the Rhythm with Full Chords
Now, apply the rhythmic pattern to the full chord voicings. Depending on the song and the feel, focus on dynamics too—you might want to hit some accents harder than others to create more feel.
Patterns as the Foundation of Melodic Playing
So far, we’ve focused on applying rhythmic patterns to full chords. But what about single- note melodies? Surely those rely more on which notes are played, right?
Not exactly.
Melodies, note-wise, are best seen as broken-up Chords (i.e. the notes of the Chord not played at the same time).
Even in melodies, patterns dictate how the how a phrase feels. Moreover, it dictates when each of those separate notes of the Chord is played and changing that up in fact completely changes the melody (even if you'd play the exact same notes in the exact same order!)
The famous kalimba-like part (the second half of the main riff) in “Africa” isn’t just a random sequence of notes—it’s a carefully placed rhythm of accents, each played on a single note of the Chord that is the harmony at that time (C#m11) that form the riff.
However -even though it sounds super sophisticated- rhythm-wise, it's actually not that hard. It's simply playing all sixteenths. What makes it special though, is the unequal amount of different notes over an equal amount of beats, causing the first accent to be a different note each "1" (or in other words, the round shifts each measure).
A beautiful example again of how the harmonic info (which notes) plus the rhythmic info (when each note is played) form an iconic part.
This is true for every memorable riff, from Alicia’s “Ain't Got You” to Hornsby's "The Way it Is;" from Adele’s “Someone Like You” to Eltons "Tiny Dancer" or d'Angelo's "Spanish Joint."
When you start to see all music as rhythmically structured patterns rather than just sequences of notes, your playing transforms. You’re no longer just pressing keys—you’re making music.
Wrapping Up
If you take away one thing from this lesson, let it be this:
Timing is everything.
- Rhythm brings music to life.
- Patterns are time (and timing) made tangible.
So next time you sit down at the piano, shift your focus. Don’t just think so much about which notes to play—pay attention to when and how you play them. That’s the difference between simply playing piano and making music.
Africa's Full Main Riff.
Here the main riff of Toto’s “Africa” once again, in it's total, to hear for yourself how patterns turn a simple progression into an unforgettable groove.
Bonus Exercise: Mix & Match Patterns
Let's close off with a little bonus exercise.
Want to really train your rhythmic feel?
Try this:
- Take a rhythmic pattern from a song you like—either a groove or a melody.
- Tap it out (like we did before).
- Apply it to a completely different chord progression from another tune.
This will show you firsthand how rhythm shapes the feel of a song, far more than Chord choices alone.
For you to ponder
Another way to look at this:
Harmonized bass melodies.
We'll talk more about that later.
