Guitar Riffs: What They Are and How to Play Them
Do you have a favorite song that you jam out to? There are likely guitar riffs behind that jam.
Guitar riffs are iconic. Songs such as “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple, David Bowie’s “Slow Burn,” and “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk all incorporate riffs.
So what are these magical musical arrangements, and why are we so obsessed with them? To answer that question, let’s dig into the history of the riff, what makes a good riff, how to compose them, and ways to incorporate them into your songs.
What are guitar riffs?
Guitar riffs are arrangements of short musical parts that are extremely catchy. Think AC/DC’s classic “Dynamite.” Riffs grab the audience, involving them in the song by repeating it, often with the same lyrics.
Giving the audience a chance to get into the music is important. But not all songs have repeating guitar riffs.
Bands like The Mars Volta break the mold with frequent change-ups. However, they almost always return to the backbone guitar riff.
If you want to hear an incredible example of a guitar riff, look no further than Eulogy by Tool.
This is a perfect example of what guitar riffs can be—the song breaks into two main parts, each with its own guitar riff. The two parts alternate back and forth throughout the composition and make up most of the song.
There is also a bridge in the song, which again has its own riff to match.
If you want to learn how to compose riffs like this one, download the Simply Guitar app today! You’ll be playing guitar in no time, spending only five minutes daily.
Why you should learn how to play riffs on the guitar.
What is a guitar riff? It’s the core of your song, the skeleton you build on. Without a guitar riff, people may not identify with your songwriting.
There are songs without riffs, but it’s pretty hard to name one. Even a band as wild and unconventional as Mr. Bungle relies on riffs—just a lot of them in random order.
Learning how to create guitar riffs gives you the freedom to jam with other musicians. From there, you may even form a band.
Pick one of your favorite songs, look up the chords, and learn it. This process will show you how important it is to learn them and help you along the way.
Guitar riffs are easy to learn and make your songwriting better. Once you understand how to compose them, write some songs and test them live.
Seven massively popular guitar riffs.
There are a lot of songs with great guitar riffs. Some are better than others. Here is our list of seven great songs with great riffs.
1. Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor is a classic guitar riff that should be on every list of monster guitar riffs.
This song is one of the most famous of the 1980s and was the perfect theme for the cheesy but awesome Rocky III.
The song’s mix between a rocking, chunky, palm-muted guitar riff and funk music-inspired bass and drum lines was an instant hit.
2. Heart – Barracuda
Heart was an anomaly of the 1970s as a female hard rock duo ahead of its time.
Like Eye of the Tiger, Barracuda relies heavily on a palm-muted guitar riff but with more complex rock bass and drum lines.
The song became an instant classic, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
3. White Zombie – Thunder Kiss 65
White Zombie exploded onto the world stage in the ’90s with their smash hit More Human Than Human. However, on their previous album, their sound was almost fully defined.
Thunder Kiss 65 is the most iconic song on it.
They had their own sound, somewhere between Funk, Metal, and Jazz. They are recognized for their riffs and Rob Zombie’s lyrical style.
In Thunder Kiss, the guitar riffs are next level. There’s lots of palm muting, thumb squeals, triple, and speed picking combined with a booming funky bass line and incredible drums. Multiple bridges in the song give a depth that remains unmatched.
4. John Mayer – Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Here, we leave the hard rock and metal guitar riff and dive into a masterwork by one of the best guitar players to date, John Mayer.
Known for his complex Blues stylings and flashy style, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room was a bit of a departure for Mayer. Moving away from the feel of songs like Your Body is a Wonderland, a more moody, brooding Mayer arrives on the scene.
The centerpiece guitar riff in the song is a hybrid style of half lead and half rhythm. Mayer showcases his guitar mastery with plenty of hammer-ons and offs, slides, and complete chord voicings.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example of the modern Blues guitar riff than in Slow Dancing.
5. Elvis Presley – Hound Dog
With over one hundred number-one hits, it’s safe to say that ‘The King’ knew his way around a guitar riff.
This song changed the shape of popular music and unified what would become known as Rock & Roll in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.
Though Elvis didn’t write this song, he certainly took the song to another level. Hound Dog had a rougher sound than most songs in the 50s, putting Elvis Presley at the top of the pop music scene.
6. Stone Temple Pilots – Interstate Love Song
The Stone Temple Pilots were a mainstay of popular music in the 1990s. Frontman Scott Weiland was electric, and their sound departed from the dominating Grunge music of the time.
Interstate Love Song has a haunting opening guitar riff. The riff immediately drags the listener into the song and never lets them go.
The riff features guitar sliding, string bending, and full chord voicings. Weiland masterfully weaves his lyrics and haunting voice throughout the song.
7. INXS – Never Tear Us Apart
This song relies heavily on synths at the beginning of the arrangement. But it isn’t until the guitar riff drops in that the song takes off.
Never Tear Us Apart shows the power of a guitar riff. The riff consists of only four consecutive notes played with a slight Blues overdrive. However, the effect it has on the song is undeniable.
It was wildly popular when it first came out in 1987 and was re-popularized in the film Donnie Darko in 2001. This showed its power to transcend generations of fans.
Bonus track: Bleed by Meshuggah
It is probably one of the most listened-to tracks by professional Metal musicians. This song is absolute electric guitar riff heaven.
Meshuggah might not be as famous as Metallica, but these guys can shred.
There are multiple guitar riffs in this song. Guitarists who want to play hard rock or metal should pay close attention.
See if you can catch all the change-ups and nuances in the song. It is a master class for the Metal guitarist, bassist, drummer, and singer.
What is the forbidden riff on guitar?
You’ve likely heard the term, but what is the forbidden riff? On guitar, probably the most famous forbidden riff is Stairway to Heaven. The concept was popularized by actor Michael Meyers in his 1992 film Wayne’s World.
In the scene, Wayne goes into a guitar store to play the dream guitar he can’t afford. He starts playing the song Stairway to Heaven, only to be stopped immediately by an employee. The employee then points to a sign saying “No Stairway.”
Essentially, the ‘forbidden riff’ is an inside joke among the employees and techs in a guitar shop. It pertains to songs that people come in and overplay.
Realistically, any song that gets overplayed in a guitar shop can become a forbidden riff. However, it should be noted that it’s usually meant as a joke.
Riff Retrospect.
The guitar riff is everywhere and takes on many forms. Now that you know more about them incorporate them into your music and see where they take you.
To learn guitar fast, download the Simply Guitar app! The app makes learning the guitar fun and easy, with an incredible user experience.
What is the hardest guitar riff to play?
That depends on the player. In the song Sudden Death by Mr. Bungle, the guitar riffs are so difficult that even Scott Ian of Anthrax had trouble with them when he joined the band—making it a challenging set of guitar riffs.
