Well let's start by saying that 'rocking riffs' are good on the piano, because the piano can be made to sound exciting and rhythmic. Think about Jerry Lee Lewis with his wild rock and roll piano playing, and Winifred Atwell with her exciting Boogie Woogie piano riffs.
But I think that beautiful and inspiring melodies are what the piano does best. The reasons are many! Firstly the notes played on the piano can have the most wonderful tone and expression. Secondly, many notes can be played together to form amazing harmony to support the melody. And thirdly, the piano can be made to 'sing' like the human voice, which in my opinion is the greatest instrument for melodies.
One of the most famous players of classical/pop piano melodies is Richard Claydermann. Do you remember him from the 70s and 80s with 'Ballade pour Adeline'? And you might remember the movie in the 80s with the rousing piano theme 'Chariots of Fire'. And we can't forget the all-time famous classical composers such as Rachmaninoff and Chopin with their romantic piano concertos and piano solos.
Well I can't say that I reached the heights of these master composers yet, haha, but I have written some very nice romantic piano melodies of my own, which are here for you to listen to, and possibly learn! They are - Desiree, Twilight, On the Rhodes, and Summer Frolic.
Here is the link - Videos
And here is the sheet music link:
If you like them and want to make a comment, just leave a message on my website contact page or make a comment on my blog page.
Enjoy the music,
Grant