What makes a good riff?

Posted: 9 June 2020

Whether you call it a riff, hook, lick or lead line, the ‘riff’ is arguably the most important aspect of guitar. A ‘riff’ is a succession of notes played on guitar to create the main melody of a song. But what defines a riff? What makes one stand out from the other and why are some so popular?

Read time: 2 mins

Firstly, we need to understand the basic principles of melody. Most melodic phrases will be notes taken from a scale that is in the key of the song. Firstly, pick your key, and then play within your relevant scale. If you need a little help to do this you can find more on scales and chord progressions as part of our Making Music With Marshall series.

Keep it simple

Although this isn’t true all of the time, a trick to creating a truly memorable riff is to minimise the number of notes. Take ‘The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army’ and every football chant you’ve ever heard for example. A lot of melodies commonly revolve around a succession of pentatonic minor notes played in a unique pattern.

Repetition

One thing you’ll notice with all great riffs and licks is that they are rarely played once. Try creating a succession of notes that can be repeated at least twice, with some variation on the third repetition. The more it’s repeated, the more chance it has of sticking in someone’s head!

Syncopation and rhythm

If your lick isn’t sounding great, you might want to take a look at the rhythm. The overall ‘groove’ and feel of the riff is defined by its rhythm. One player that creates great riffs that are packed with rhythm is Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. Try staggering the notes or playing them faster, or even delaying the point in which the notes start, instead of hitting the first beat of the bar try playing on the second

Individuality

The most important aspect of any riff is the individuality of it. ‘Smoke On The Water’ is so commonly played as it is instantly recognisable and easy to play. If you’re struggling to create that eureka moment, try using different guitar effects and techniques such as bends, slides and hammer-ons to get inspired.

Conclusion

There’s a lot of variables that go into creating a truly great riff, but if you take these key principles into account you’ll definitely be on the right track to creating the next huge riff that will annoy guitar store employees for decades to come!