What makes a good riff?

[Ocelot2010]

What the title says.

 

[Zehm]

a good riff or a great riff. for a riff to be good it needs to require alot of skill to play. for a great riff it requires a level of skill but also needs to have good feel to it. a great riff needs to stick in your head and starts comeing out when someone else is trying to write music.

 

[Keenan]

Hhhmmm..... good question.

I think its one that has to stick in your head after the song is over. (I.E. Enter Sandman)

 

[Vedicardi]

A great riff is nothing without great drumming.

Besides that, I think it takes originality to write a GOOD riff. Look at Dyer's Eve. Now that's a riff, and there was nothing like it when it was written. Good riffs are new riffs that sound interesting and unique.

 

[Slatanictrash]

Speaking from expierence

About 12 cans of Carling and a Lamb Bhoona tends to do the trick



(I can't sleep as I am still in nightshift mode and I am already into my 3rd day off, bastard of a thing)

 

[D.Ingram]

Ol's fingers

 

[Heavy Metal Rich]

A riff doesn't have to be complex to play to be good (most are though I would imagine).

From my listening perspective, a riff has to have a good sound to go with it. Speed helps in some cases too. You can't beat a nice heavy riff.

 

[Covet Chaos]

What makes a good riff you say hmm...


Me. Thanks. Bye.

 

[vMETALLICAv]

some of my favourite riffs are v easy to play, south of heaven, seek & destroy are real easy to play but very catchy an great riffs. i suppose it goes down to whatever you consider to be a good riff though

 

[Covet Chaos]

Sleep - Dragonaut

Has one of the best riffs ever and it is incredibly easy.

 

[Keenan]

some of my favourite riffs are v easy to play, south of heaven, seek & destroy are real easy to play but very catchy an great riffs. i suppose it goes down to whatever you consider to be a good riff though

South of Heaven is my favorite Slayer song

 

[MetallicSlayerDeth]

A great riff should be catchy and not much more. Back In Black is one of the catchiest riffs ever but I prefer faster ones.

 

[diddykoi6]

yeah catchy haha. i tend to prefer heavy crunchy ones, but i really love faster ones. to be honest. if i knew id be in a famous band. same goes.

 

[Zehm]

A riff doesn't have to be complex to play to be good (most are though I would imagine).

From my listening perspective, a riff has to have a good sound to go with it. Speed helps in some cases too. You can't beat a nice heavy riff.

what you've just described is an enjoyable riff, or to be more colloquial, a "cool" riff. not a good riff. as I said. the word 'good' denotes a level of skilland profeciency required to compose and execute the riff.

 

[D.Ingram]

Entmbed make good riffs...

 

[Keenan]

So does that one band..... Vilee I think they're called?

Their song "Enter the Dave" has a couple great riffs in it.

 

[Zehm]

 

[siobhan!]

Pantera - Floods

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOAFT.

 

[Podgie]

For a riff to be considered great it has to be original, it has to be memorable and be full of feeling. In my opinion a great riff does not have to be overly technical or demand a huge amount of skill to play.

Some of the best riffs ever are easy to play.

 

[Zehm]

For a riff to be considered great it has to be original, it has to be memorable and be full of feeling. In my opinion a great riff does not have to be overly technical or demand a huge amount of skill to play.

Some of the best riffs ever are easy to play.

Again, no they're not, some of the most memorable riffs are easy to play. but the best riffs require a lot of skill.