Single-note riffs

A riff is a short musical figure, usually on the low strings, that repeats and becomes the identity of a song. Many riffs use only a handful of notes from the minor pentatonic scale in open position. The skill is less about the notes than about playing them tight, in time and without other strings ringing.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Play single-note riffs on the low strings from the open E minor pentatonic scale.
• Stop unwanted strings ringing with both hands.
• Combine a single-note riff with power chords in one part.

A riff is a short figure, usually one or two bars, that repeats through a section of a song. Many of the most memorable rock and blues riffs use only a few notes from the minor pentatonic scale on the low strings.

In open position, E minor pentatonic is all within the first three frets:

• Low E string: open (E) and fret 3 (G)
• A string: open (A) and fret 2 (B)
• D string: open (D) and fret 2 (E)

Because so many of these notes are open strings, riffs here bring a particular problem: open strings keep ringing after you move on, and the notes smear together. Good riff playing is as much about stopping notes as starting them:

• The picking-hand palm rests on the lower strings you have just left.
• The fretting fingers stay touching a string after they lift, so it is damped rather than left to ring open.

Riffs often mix single notes with power chord stabs, so this lesson combines the two.

Riff 1, step by step.

1. Play the open low E twice, then G at fret 3 with the ring finger, then the open E again.
2. Cross to the A string: open A, then B at fret 2 with the middle finger, open A again.
3. Finish on G (6th string, fret 3).
4. Now listen: when you cross to the A string, lower the picking-hand palm onto the low E so it stops ringing.

Riff 2. The first bar is single notes, ending with a rest on "4 &". Use that rest to get the hand into G5 at fret 3. Keep the power chords short: release the pressure as soon as each one has sounded.

Make it yours. Change one note, or move one note to a different beat, and loop the new version. That is how riffs get written.

Do these in order. Each one is small. Tick the ones you have practised.

• 1.Learn the riff in pieces

  4 min · 70 → 100 BPM

  1. Play the first four notes of riff 1 (shown in the tab) until they are automatic.
  2. Play the second four notes the same way.
  3. Join them and loop the whole bar four times.
  4. Use alternate picking, or all downstrokes for a heavier sound.

  You have it when

  • You play the riff four times in a row without a gap or a wrong note.
  I practised this one

• 2.Mute what you're not playing

  4 min

  1. Play the riff very slowly and listen after each note.
  2. When you move from the low E to the A string, let the picking-hand palm touch the low E so it stops.
  3. When you lift a fretted note, keep the finger touching the string so it does not ring open.
  4. Play the riff once more at tempo, listening only for unwanted ringing.

  You have it when

  • You hear only one note at a time.
  I practised this one

• 3.Riff and chords

  4 min · 70 → 100 BPM

  1. Play riff 2: a single-note bar followed by a bar of power chords.
  2. Loop it four times.
  3. Change the riff: alter one note or the rhythm of one beat, and loop your version.

  You have it when

  • The move from single notes to chords and back is in time.
  • You can play your own variation four times in a row.
  I practised this one

Learn each riff slowly enough to mute every note cleanly, around 70 BPM. Riffs are only convincing in time, so loop them with the metronome and go up to 100 BPM.

• Open strings ringing under the riff. Mute with both hands: the picking palm covers lower strings, the fretting fingers stay in contact with strings they have just played.
• Playing the right notes in loose time. A riff is rhythm first. Clap the rhythm before playing it, and loop it with a metronome.

Riffs are the hook of countless rock and blues songs. Once you can play a riff tight, you can learn most riff-based songs by ear, one bar at a time. Bring this skill into the ear-training lessons later.

Short version (10 minutes)

Learn riff 1 and loop it at 70 BPM with clean muting.

Standard version (about 30 minutes)

Do all three exercises, then write and loop your own two-bar riff using the open E minor pentatonic notes.

• Riffs live on the low strings and often use the minor pentatonic.
• Tight timing matters more than speed.
• Mute with both hands so only one note sounds.
• Single notes and power chords combine naturally in one part.

You are ready to move on when you can honestly say:

• I can play both riffs in time at 90 BPM with no unwanted strings ringing.
• I can write and loop a two-bar riff of my own.