Sidebar

Best opening guitar riffs

CajunCrimson

CajunCrimson

Moderator (FB,BB) and Vinyl Enthusiast
Staff member
Mar 13, 2001
26,780
21,564
337
Breaux Bridge, La
Go Bama

Go Bama

Hall of Fame
Dec 6, 2009
13,818
14,170
187
16outa17essee
FWIW, I’ve always considered. “riff” a short repeated phrase, usually at the beginning of a song. . A non-guitar riff would be what Stevie Wonder plays in Superstition. Pretty Woman, Last Train To Clarksville, Amos Moses, and Long Cool Woman all have guitar riffs. Johnny B Goode has no riff. It’s Chuck Berry playing lead guitar over chord changes. Black Magic Woman has a great organ riff that Carlos plays lead guitar over.

Be that as it may, I’ve really enjoyed this thread. Everything posted is good stuff. Keep ‘me coming, riff or no riff.
 
92tide

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,266
45,054
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
Go Bama said:
FWIW, I’ve always considered. “riff” a short repeated phrase, usually at the beginning of a song. . A non-guitar riff would be what Stevie Wonder plays in Superstition. Pretty Woman, Last Train To Clarksville, Amos Moses, and Long Cool Woman all have guitar riffs. Johnny B Goode has no riff. It’s Chuck Berry playing lead guitar over chord changes. Black Magic Woman has a great organ riff that Carlos plays lead guitar over.

Be that as it may, I’ve really enjoyed this thread. Everything posted is good stuff. Keep ‘me coming, riff or no riff.
Click to expand...
there is a fairly standard bluegrass kick-off riff called the potato. i learned about it pretty early on when i started figuring out fiddle tunes. the beginning of plastic banana upthread is an example.
 
Go Bama

Go Bama

Hall of Fame
Dec 6, 2009
13,818
14,170
187
16outa17essee
92tide said:
there is a fairly standard bluegrass kick-off riff called the potato. i learned about it pretty early on when i started figuring out fiddle tunes. the beginning of plastic banana upthread is an example.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that’s a guitar riff trying to sound like a fiddle.

Tony Rice is my all time favorite Bluegrass guitarist. Anything he did was awesome. I understand he’s pretty sick and doesn’t play much anymore. There’s no telling how much time I’ve spent trying to play similarly. I’m not even close but keep trying. Bluegrass is hard to play.
 
92tide

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,266
45,054
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
Go Bama said:
Yeah, that’s a guitar riff trying to sound like a fiddle.

Tony Rice is my all time favorite Bluegrass guitarist. Anything he did was awesome. I understand he’s pretty sick and doesn’t play much anymore. There’s no telling how much time I’ve spent trying to play similarly. I’m not even close but keep trying. Bluegrass is hard to play.
Click to expand...
he, doc watson, and tim o'brien are my favorites. luckily, i got to see tony a few times and got to meet him backstage at the variety playhouse in atlanta. got to see his pre-war d-28 up close. unfortunately, i never got to see him while he was still singing.

i have this on my list of things to watch. i had a pretty good bootleg tape of one of his shows from around this time and it was awesome.

there is also a lengthy interview from a few weeks back at bluegrasstoday.com that i plan to check out soon.


the 'bone

 
Last edited:
Moro Creek

Moro Creek

All-SEC
Jan 21, 2014
1,839
687
137
Equine country
I'm surprised Chicago's Terry Kath on Dialogue 1 & 2 is not here. I would put it on but I don't know how (computer illiterate). Kath was one of the greatest guitar players of all time and this was a terrific lead in riff.
 
C

crimson fan man

Hall of Fame
Aug 12, 2002
5,441
344
202
Athens Al
I don't know how to post a link but the song by the Bangles (Hazy shade of winter) was a good guitar song. Also (Magic man) by Heart was a good one to.
 
CajunCrimson

CajunCrimson

Moderator (FB,BB) and Vinyl Enthusiast
Staff member
Mar 13, 2001
26,780
21,564
337
Breaux Bridge, La
Go Bama said:
FWIW, I’ve always considered. “riff” a short repeated phrase, usually at the beginning of a song. . A non-guitar riff would be what Stevie Wonder plays in Superstition. Pretty Woman, Last Train To Clarksville, Amos Moses, and Long Cool Woman all have guitar riffs. Johnny B Goode has no riff. It’s Chuck Berry playing lead guitar over chord changes. Black Magic Woman has a great organ riff that Carlos plays lead guitar over.

Be that as it may, I’ve really enjoyed this thread. Everything posted is good stuff. Keep ‘me coming, riff or no riff.
Click to expand...
That's why my first post was "Big Love" by Fleetwood Mac -- but others seemed to focus on the "guitar solo" at the start of a song -- so I went Eric Johnson "Cliffs of Dover"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Posts

Latest threads

TideFans.shop - NEW Stuff!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a> <br /> <!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \--> <p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.

Top Bottom