The aesthetics of rock consists not only of a certain image, but also of a number of different guitar riffs that have glorified more than one guitarist. So what does the concept of "riff" include, what are its types and ways of extracting from the guitar?
All About Guitar Riffs
A riff is a constantly repeating, short piece of music that can be either an intro or any other element of a song. Guitar riffs are used as accompaniment, climax, ending, and so on. In blues and rock music, riffs are played by the rhythm guitarist in the lower register - namely, the lower strings.
Some guitar riffs have become so recognizable that whole songs of cult rock bands are recognized by them.
There are certain types of riffs - chord, monophonic, open key, or fifth-based. Also, guitarists often use pedal-tone riffs or blues riffs played in the key of E major. However, these designations are a conditional classification, since several fragments can be combined in the same riff. Thanks to this, every guitarist can create his own riff while experimenting with guitar playing.
The essence of guitar riffs
Pedal-tone riffs, common in the 80s, are a constantly repeating tone. In this case, the pedal note is the tonic played on the open string, which acts as a background for playing intervals and quarts corresponding to different chords.
Also, as a pedal tone, it is allowed to use not only the fifth, but also the sixth / fourth strings.
Monophonic riffs, common in the 70s, are built on the basis of the pentatonic scale and are dubbed an octave lower when played on the bass guitar. Monophonic riffs do not use chords or interspersed intervals - other than that, they do not require any special exercises to play them.
Chord riffs are played using chords on a slightly overdriven or clean sound so that notes are not distorted. Many famous guitarists have played with chord riffs using major pentatonic notes and interspersed intervals.
Speed riffs are the easiest and most fun way to play guitar. They are played in overdrive or distortion, using only the root note (tonic) and fifth (fifth step). These consonances should be played by the guitarist with quick strikes downward. Speed riffs are often exploited in punk and thrash metal, as their simple performance allows the guitarist to throw picks into the crowd while striking the strings and striking picture poses at the same time.
