A very commonly used sound in Deep House music is the electric piano. While programming riffs and chord progressions with a mouse is convenient if you can't play the keyboard - and handy for tricky stuff, of course - you should at least give the old-fashioned live approach a try. While the drum patterns don't generally deviate much from the 4/4 template, leaving them straight makes them sound too robotic. A lot of Deep House's vibe comes from its rhythm.