Guitar Songwriting Guide: How To Write Great Guitar Riffs
Welcome to this guide on how to write guitar riffs. In this guide you will learn all about the different factors that make up a great guitar riff and how you can start writing your own. You are about to read about many different approaches for beginning to write a guitar riff; however, do not feel pressured to take them all on at once. If you need to, try out one or two ideas on your own first, until you feel very comfortable using them in your songwriting. Additionally, all of the concepts described in this guide apply to any guitar/songwriting style or musical genre. With that said, let’s get started:
Writing Guitar Riffs With Power Chords
Power chords have long since been a staple for writing great guitar riffs. Regardless of where you are in your guitar playing skills today, chances are you began learning guitar with the power chords used in the songs of your favorite bands. Technically, a power chord is not what is traditionally considered to be a “chord” since chords are generally defined as containing 3 or more different pitches (example: C E G, A B C, etc.).
That said, this is one of the main music reasons that power chords are so versatile (and therefore widely used). Since power chords do not contain the additional note that most other chords would contain, they have a “neutral” sound unlike that of major or minor chords which are normally thought of as happy or sad respectively. By itself, a power chord is more like a note in a scale than a chord. Generally speaking, any given power chord is recognized by whichever of the two notes is the lowest in pitch. For example, the “E5” power chord could contain the notes “E” on the 5 th string/7 th fret and “B” on the 4 th string/9 th fret. When we hear this being played, we think of it mostly as an “E” note even though there is a “B” being played at the same time. You could also add on another “E” on the 3 rd string/9 th fret. Adding on the lowest note at a higher octave is commonly done to give the power chord a more full sound.
Although this may seem like common knowledge to many guitarists, it is important to point out in order to emphasize the subtle melodic feeling that power chords give to any guitar riff. By understanding how power chords work and feel very similarly to “single” notes, you can build a foundation for how to create guitar riffs that lead the listener in a certain direction.
Here is a basic example using power chords:
Click here to listen.
The Importance Of Using A “Home” Chord
By merely listening to this example, you can hear a clear sense of direction being created by the power chords. Here, the E5 power chord is the “home” chord of the riff. In other words, this is the chord that every other chord seems to being going toward (or away from) at any given time. The reason it feels this way is because the notes being used (or emphasized in the power chords) are taken from a scale. Due to the way scales are created, they naturally lead our ears toward one specific note. Additionally, the notes of a scale can be arranged to make chords, which create the same effect.
In this case, the scale I chose to use is the E Phrygian scale; however, it is not particularly important which scale is being used here. The important thing to understand is that having a “home” chord is a key element for most guitar riffs. Whenever you listen a song that has a great guitar riff, chances are that the riff is based off of notes taken from a scale (sometimes in the form of a chord or arpeggio).
Now, keeping the concept of a “home” chord in mind, listen again to the riff from above and read the short analysis below.
Click here to listen again.
In the beginning of the riff the D5 is heard as going toward the E5. This becomes even more clear after it is repeated (thus establishing E5 as “home”). Since D is lower than E in terms of pitch, it feels as if we are trying to go “up” to reach the E. Next we hear the F5 as going toward the E5 (going F “down” to E). Finally the riff ends with A5 going to G5. This gives the riff a sense of tension because we are not moving to the home chord. This feels as if we are moving “away” from the home chord and adds variety to the overall riff. Creating this sense of moving “away” is very useful for writing interesting guitar riffs. You can think of it like this: each time you move toward the home chord you relax tension and each time you move away you create tension. Having a balance of tension is very useful as a fundamental method for keeping your musical ideas interesting.
Overall this riff leaves the listener “wanting more” due to the fact that it does not end on the home chord. Although this riff could work fine on its own, here is an example of combining the riff together with a similar riff to give it contrast.
This overall riff essentially contains two halves which follow a common formula.
1 st Half = Less tense, relies more on going to the home chord.
2 nd Half = More tense, moves away from home chord to create more interest and variety.
As a side note, guitar riffs sometimes do not end on the “home” note until the end of the riff or the end of the song. Additionally, when the riff is over, it will often lead into the next section of the song by having the next section begin with the “home” chord. This creates a smooth transition (more about transitioning later).
Adding Depth To Power Chord Guitar Riffs
One of the most effective ways to add more depth and interest to guitar riffs that are based primarily around power chords is to “fill in” the missing note. In order to do this, simply identify the note name of the power chord you are using (such as “E” for the E5 power chord) and add a note to make it either major or minor by recording a separate part over your power chord riff or simply playing the lowest note + the new note. The name of the note you will add in to do this is the “third”.
For example, if you are playing the E5 power chord, you can make it into E major or E minor by changing like this:
Use this idea as a way to add interest to your power chords either by mixing it together with other regular power chords or on its own. While doing this, you can either use major or minor chords based on the key you are playing in or chords from outside of the key. Experiment with different ideas until you get a sound you like. Additionally, you can change the “fifth” in your power chords to make it a half step higher or lower and create a diminished/augmented sound. So, if you were using an “E5” power chord, the 5 in the chord title refers to the “fifth”, which is “B”. This is the note that you would change.