Riff
A short, repeated melodic or rhythmic figure that identifies a song and usually carries its main hook.
A riff is the guitar equivalent of a vocal hook, and its defining quality is memorability rather than difficulty: often it uses few notes, sits low on the neck, and repeats with small variations. Riffs can be chordal, single-line, or built purely from muted strokes, and many of the most recognisable ones are defined as much by their rhythm as their pitches. In songwriting terms the riff is a structural element, returning at set points to anchor the arrangement.
Example: The opening guitar figure that the rest of the band enters behind, and that returns between verses, is the song's riff.
See also
Related
- PageLick
- PagePower chord
- PageAccent
- PageAction height
- PageAlternate picking
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock