The secret of great guitar riffs
Hi Visitor
Do you want to write great guitar riffs?
Before you say anything: the answer to this question is always ‘yes’. Any other answer is unacceptable.
Even if you don’t play guitar, you probably wish that you wrote Smoke on the Water. I mean, it’s so simple. You could have written that.
But you didn’t. Ritchie Blackmore did.
And with every hour of every day that passes, more and more great riffs are removed from the pool of possibilities because Ritchie #@!&ing Blackmore keeps writing them.
So, I’m here to give you the keys to the proverbial ‘riff castle’ so that you can finally be the one that makes someone else think “Why didn’t I come up with that?”
Now, it goes without saying that there are a lot of important things when it comes to writing great riffs.
For instance, one super important "detail"is to make sure that the rhythm of how the notes are played within the riff is interesting on its own.
Clap the rhythm of Seven Nation Army, and even your grandma’s dog is going to recognize it.
Clap the rhythm of Iron Man, and random strangers on the street will raise their hands in the sign of the horns.
Great rhythms make great riffs!
But wait… once you have a great rhythm, what’s next? How do you choose the right notes to play with that rhythm?
Well, there are obviously limitless options for this part, but there is one interval that you should use as much as you can. Listen to any great riff, and this interval will be in there. Probably.
“What interval is that?” You ask, with a sparkle of child-like excitement in your eyes. (*)
Simple. Watch the video linked below and I’ll show you what you should be using in every riff you write, as well as a few other tips on how to choose the right notes for your riffs.
Watch the video here: https://musictheoryforguitar.com/write-guitar-riffs-theory.html
(*) No, it's not the d@mn tritone. If "tritone" was the first thing you thought, you have been watching too much pop-entertainment-music-theory on YouTube (made by wannabe influencer music teachers who have not taught an actual student in their life but are oh-so-photogenic). You need a cure of real music theory - the stuff you can actually make music with - so watch the video linked in this email and then watch other 5 videos on my channel... and then tell me if you don't feel different already.
Enjoy!
Tommaso Zillio
Music Theory Education Expert
If you no longer wish to be contacted, click this link: Unsubscribe
