Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to play guitar? According to The Talent Code, an important aspect of learning an instrument is called ignition. What’s ignition? It’s a crystalizing experience where a person hears a song or sees someone playing and says, “I want to do that!” I have selected seven of the best, most iconic, riffs spanning five decades. I hope one of them inspires you to play guitar. To learn more, keep reading The 7 Best Iconic Riffs That Make People Want to Play Guitar.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
The 7 Best Iconic Guitar Riffs: What’s a Riff?
“What does the word riff mean?” Many sources claim that it came from “rhythm figure.” The Essential Dictionary of Music states that a riff is:
A short repeated melodic pattern. (109)
Riffs have become particularly important in rock guitar:
- They function as hooks to “hook” you into the song.
- Riffs often provide the harmonic background for verses, choruses, and bridges.
- When they use power chords with distortion, they create the iconic rock guitar sound.
The 7 Best Iconic Guitar Riffs: Here Are the Riffs!
Here are the seven best iconic guitar riffs:
Peter Gunn Theme – 1959
This vintage riff is the theme for the late ‘50s TV show Peter Gunn. It’s a popular song that’s been used as a spy motif in both movies and television. This bluesy piece has jazzy elements thanks to Henry Mancini’s background as a swing band arranger. The guitar riff is simple enough that it’s a good song for beginner guitarists to learn.
Video: Song “Peter Gunn Theme”
Video: Learn the “Peter Gunn Theme”
Oh, Pretty Woman – 1964
Roy Orbison’s 1964 hit song has a memorable intro with the characteristic twangy sound that’s a holdover from 1950s rock n’ roll. The song became a hit again when Van Halen released their harder rock version in 1982. Originally, it was supposed to be a one-off single. However, it was successful enough that it led to Van Halen recording and releasing the album Diver Down on which this song appears.
Video: Song “Oh, Pretty Woman”
Video: Learn “Oh, Pretty Woman”
Smoke on the Water – 1972
Smoke on the Water is a must-learn riff for every guitar player. Because of its simplicity, this rhythm figure is often the first rock riff that young guitarists learn. Based on a true story, the song tells the tale of a fire in a casino on Lake Geneva. The casino (since rebuilt) has a sculpture at the main entrance commemorating the notes from the riff.
Video: Song “Smoke on the Water”
Video: Learn “Smoke on the Water”
Message in a Bottle – 1979
While most of the song Message in a Bottle uses simple power chords or barre chords, the main riff is trickier than what we saw in the first three songs on the list. Andy Summers, the Police’s guitarist and a college trained composer, was into quintal harmony (see the song Every Breath You Take). Instead of the usual chords stacked in thirds, quintal harmony has chords stacked in fifths. The arpeggiated quintal chords in the intro and verses pull all their notes from the key of E major, making it easy to solo over.
Video: Song “Message in a Bottle”
Video: Learn “Message in a Bottle”
Cult of Personality – 1988
This ‘80s track starts with a high energy hard rock riff. It’s perfectly complemented by Vernon Reid’s cascade of chromatic notes during his guitar solo, which was directly influenced by Ornette Coleman’s style.
Video: Song “Cult of Personality”
Video: Learn “Cult of Personality”
Runnin’ Down a Dream – 1989
Runnin’ Down a Dream’s anthemic opening riff has a series of puff-offs that gives it a lot of driving momentum. This demonstrates good songwriting prosody because the track has a road trip theme in the lyrics.
Video: Song “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
Video: Learn “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
Kryptonite – 2000
This catchy guitar song from the early 2000s opens with clean arpeggios and transitions into distorted chords in the chorus. The cool sounding intro is better suited for guitarists who’ve had experience with open and barre chords.
Video: Song “Kryptonite”
Video: Learn “Kryptonite”
Final Thoughts on “The 7 Best Iconic Riffs That Make People Want to Play Guitar”
Takeaway points:
- A riff is a repetitive melodic or harmonic pattern.
- They function as hooks to “hook” you into the song.
- Also, they often provide the harmonic background for verses, choruses, and bridges.
Have fun listening!
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© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
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