Today, we are going to begin a wonderful journey through the magic of rock and roll, but to do this we need to learn and agree on a definition. Today, we’re going to concentrate on one word.
That word is ‘riff.’
What is a riff? That’s a complicated subject and a very good question. The riff is not the solo. That’s a common misconception. The riff is the melodic, rhythmic, and simple part of the song.
No, it’s not new. Think of the 1812 Overture. Think of Beethoven’s 5th. Think of Flight of the Bumblebee. Those are not guitar, but those are riffs. We are going to concentrate on the guitar riff.
When you keep the song stuck in your head, and remember it afterwards, you’re probably recollecting the riff part of the music. That’s the part that sticks with you and a good way to describe them is compelling – sometimes even compelling people to wiggle their hips and move their feet.
When I say, “Smoke on the Water,” you don’t think about the bitchin’ solo – you recall the riff. That’s what the riff is – and it hasn’t always been done on guitar.
In fact, the early days of Rock And Roll had the riff filled in by piano and even trumpets. It was the blues influence that gave us the guitar riff as we know it today. This isn’t an early example, this is just an example of that blues influence:
That is a guitar riff. Can you hear it? If you can hear it, then you’ll perhaps be interested in joining us in the remainder of this series. If you can’t hear it, don’t worry. I’ll be training your ears to hear it along the way, as it can sometimes be a bit subtle. To make it more confusing, some songs will contain more than one guitar riff!
Get in the car! We’re going on an adventure! Stay tuned for next week, when we’ll continue to examine the history of rock and roll by understanding the guitar riff!
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