In music, a riff is an ostinato figure: a repeated chord progression, pattern, refrain or melodic figure, often played by the rhythm section instruments, that forms the basis or accompaniment of a musical composition (though they are most often found in rock music, Latin, funk and jazz). Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. In Music, an Ostinato (derived from Italian: "stubborn" see also Oscillation) is a motif or phrase which is persistently A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or A rhythm section is the Musicians in a Popular music band or ensemble who establish the Rhythmic pulse of a Song or musical In Music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the Lead, in a Supporting manner Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Latin music, includes the music of all countries in Latin America (and the Caribbean) and comes in many varieties Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Classical music is also sometimes based on a simple riff, such as Ravel's Boléro. Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel. Originally composed as a ballet, the piece which premiered in 1928 is considered Ravel's Riffs can be as simple as a tenor saxophone honking a simple, catchy rhythmic figure, or as complex as the riff-based variations in the head arrangements played by the Count Basie Orchestra. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind In Music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing Music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch such The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece Big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the Swing era, founded by Count Basie.
David Brackett (1999) defines riffs as "short melodic phrases," while Richard Middleton (1999) defines them as, "short rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic figures repeated to form a structural framework. In Music a phrase ( Greek φράση, sentence expression, see also Strophe) is a section of music that is relatively Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of In Acoustics and Telecommunication, the harmonic of a Wave is a component Frequency of the signal that is an Integer The term musical form refers to two related concepts the type of composition (for example a musical work can have the form of a Symphony, a " Rikky Rooksby (2002, p. 6-7) states that "A riff is a short, repeated, memorable musical phrase, often pitched low on the guitar, which focuses much of the energy and excitement of a rock song. "
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History
The term riff entered musical slang in the 1920s (Rooksby, ibid), and is used primarily in discussion of forms of rock music or jazz. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States "Most rock musicians use riff as a near-synonym for 'musical idea. '" (Middleton 1990, p. 125).
Charlie Parker's 1945 recording "Thriving on a Riff" brought the term to more popular awareness.
The etymology of the term is not clearly known. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Some sources explain riff as an abbreviation for "rhythmic figure" or "refrain" ([1]). For the HTML tag see HTML element. An abbreviation (from Latin brevis "short" The term is also used in a similar sense in comedy where riffing may be the verbal exploration of a particular subject. Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and Thus riffing on a melody or progression as one would riff on a subject by extending a singular thought, idea or inspiration into a bit, or routine. A bit is a binary digit, taking a value of either 0 or 1 Binary digits are a basic unit of Information storage and communication
Usage
Jazz and R&B
In jazz and R&B, riffs are often used as the starting point for longer compositions. The "Night Train" riff was first used in Duke Ellington's "Happy-Go-Lucky Local", which Ellington had recycled from Johnny Hodges' earlier "That's the Blues, Old Man". " Night Train " is a Twelve bar blues Instrumental standard first recorded by Jimmy Forrest in 1951. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges ( 25 July, 1906 in Cambridge, Massachusetts – 11 May, 1970) was an American
The riff from Charlie Parker's bebop number "Now's the Time" (1945) re-emerged four years later as the R&B dance hit, "The Hucklebuck". Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody The verse of "The Hucklebuck", which was another riff, was "borrowed" from the Artie Matthews composition, "Weary Blues". The Weary Blues is a 1915 tune by Artie Matthews. Despite the name the form is a multi-strain Ragtime rather than a conventional Blues. Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" had an earlier life as Wingy Manone's "Tar Paper Stomp". " In the Mood " is a song popularized by the American bandleader Glenn Miller in 1939 and one of the best-known arrangements of the Big band era Wingy Manone ( 13 February 1900 – 9 July 1982) was an American Jazz Trumpeter Singer, and Bandleader All these songs use twelve bar blues riffs, and most of these riffs probably precede the examples given.
Related concepts
A riff may be incorporated into a fill, which is a short instrumental passage played in the pause between phrases of a melody. In Popular music, a fill is a shortened musical passage Riff, or rhythmic sound which helps to sustain the listener's attention during a break between the phrases A riff is different from the related concept of a lick in that riffs can also include repeated chord progressions; licks are usually associated with single-note melodic lines rather than chord progressions. In Popular music genres such as rock music a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short phrase, or series of notes A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order Like riffs, licks can be used as the basis of an entire song. A riff can be a hook, if the riff meets the definition of a hook: "a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is believed to be appealing and make the song stand out", and "catch the ear of the listener" (Covach 2005, p. A hook is a Musical idea, often a short Riff, passage or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a Song appealing and to "catch the Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. In Music a phrase ( Greek φράση, sentence expression, see also Strophe) is a section of music that is relatively 71).
Neither the term riff or lick are used in Classical music; instead, individual musical phrases used as the basis of classical music pieces are called ostinatos or simply phrases. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music In Music, an Ostinato (derived from Italian: "stubborn" see also Oscillation) is a motif or phrase which is persistently Contemporary jazz writers also use riff- or lick-like ostinatos in modal music and Latin jazz. Modal jazz is Jazz using Musical modes rather than chord progressions as its harmonic framework Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz and classical harmonies from Latin America the Caribbean Europe
Sources
- Horner, Bruce; Swiss, Thomas (1999). Form and Music: Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-21263-9.
- Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0-335-15275-9.
- Rooksby, Rikky (2002). Riffs: How to create and play great guitar riffs. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-710-2.
See also
External links
In Music, an Ostinato (derived from Italian: "stubborn" see also Oscillation) is a motif or phrase which is persistently In Jazz, gospel, soul, and Musical theater, a vamp is a repeating Musical figure or Accompaniment. In Popular music genres such as rock music a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short phrase, or series of notes A hook is a Musical idea, often a short Riff, passage or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a Song appealing and to "catch the In Popular music, a fill is a shortened musical passage Riff, or rhythmic sound which helps to sustain the listener's attention during a break between the phrasesDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic