# Greatest Riff of All Time



## Robboman (Oct 14, 2006)

It was the first one I ever learned... 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080404/music_nm/guitar_dc_1


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

I call bullshit on that list. I agree with Smoke on the Water being #1, but some of the others are nonsense - Pantera at #12 ? no Black Sabbath until #22 ? lofu


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

i can play 23 of those riffs, hahah.

impossible list to make, really. but this is as good as any. thanks for posting.


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## The Kicker Of Elves (Jul 20, 2006)

bagpipe said:


> I call bullshit on that list. I agree with Smoke on the Water being #1, but some of the others are nonsense - Pantera at #12 ? no Black Sabbath until #22 ? lofu


Heh, Iommi would roll his eyes at #22. He dislikes the song for its simplicity.

Where's Ironman??


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## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

I like Guns and Roses, but they are a little over represented at the top.


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## Red Foreman (Apr 3, 2008)

I agree about GNR .What kind of guitar riff list has no Van Halen.I doubt the writer has ever picked up a guitar.


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

Ahh, but you don't need to be a guitar player to recognise a great riff. Music should be written for listeners, not to impress other musicians.

:rockon2:


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## Red Foreman (Apr 3, 2008)

I agree Hamm but I'm also a listener and that list is not a very good list for greatest riffs imho.:smile:


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## RIFF WRATH (Jan 22, 2007)

obviously none other than your's truly....lol
cheers
RIFF


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## jcayer (Mar 25, 2007)

Smoke on the water... I agree 100%

but where are : Satisfaction (Rolling Stones), Whole lotta love (zep)


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

I was thinking the same thing...The stones should be on the list for sure...I would also add Day Tripper by the beatles or perhaps pretty women by Roy Orbison.


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## Guest (Apr 4, 2008)

The list is lame IMO.
The 'greatest' in any category of life
is always in the eye/ear of the beholder. 
I could write here for 3hrs of what_* I*_ think
is great. If it grabs me by the booboo, that's
what I listen to/get inspired by.


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## zinga (Apr 22, 2007)

i agree with some but not with other songs on the list and you are right a good riff makes your hairs stand up and you want to learn the hell out of it and what makes it good. :rockon2:


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

No Foxy Lady? No Beatles riffs? No Stones - Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash!?!?!?! No SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE!!!!!!!!!. These guys are totally brain f&$ked !!!!


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

The greatest riff of all time has yet to be heard by us mere mortals.


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## Apostrophe (') (Dec 30, 2007)

100 Greatest Guitar Riffs:
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_guitarriff.html

There's a ton of great lists on that site - one of the most comprehensive site listings I've ever seen:
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/music0.html

Their 100 Greatest Guitarists is worth checking out...

_These are the 100 greatest guitarists of all genres of music and styles of guitar. They were picked for their importance in the guitar world including innovation, respect from other guitarists, influence on both other players as well as on styles of playing, impact, legendary status, and overall importance on shaping the guitar world. Plus for the playing abilities including technique, creativity, versatility, musicaldepth & expression both in composing & performing, live energy and improv skills, and originality._

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_guitar-all.html


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

WHat..?..No Van Halen!..and like 3 or 4 Gun's & Roses?..comeone, who came up with that list..LOL


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

Apostrophe (') said:


> Their 100 Greatest Guitarists is worth checking out...


i'm sorry.. Les Paul is #32? what, inventing the modern solidbody electric guitar wasn't enough to crack the top ten? how about multi-track recording? 

i guess the point is that lists are lists.. fun, but ultimately pointless.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

bobb said:


> The greatest riff of all time has yet to be heard by us mere mortals.


_"...When asked to comment on the possible dangers of using the riff, Sir Paul McCartney seemed surprised.

"There's a secret vault to save rock and roll?" McCartney said. "This is the first I've heard of it...."_

LOL, Haaaaaaaaa. Yes, I read this last year. Love the Onion.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Does that look like Frank Zappa in the cloud on the left ???


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## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

To not have Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues on a list, let alone not being #1 really shows how the list is without merit. All those riffs owe EC in one way or another. Its the unwritten law of riffs........


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## Apostrophe (') (Dec 30, 2007)

suttree said:


> i'm sorry.. Les Paul is #32? what, inventing the modern solidbody electric guitar wasn't enough to crack the top ten? how about multi-track recording?
> 
> i guess the point is that lists are lists.. fun, but ultimately pointless.


I disagree that they're pointless, provided they're made by the right people. In this case, it's a great way of being introduced to musicians/guitarists that you may never have heard of. That list is one of the most diverse I've seen, as it deviates dramatically from the typical Hendrix/Clapton/Page/Beck/VH top 5 stuff you see.

As far as Les, I take the list as being based on his playing innovations/style, not his recording/guitar innovations. So if we're basically talking about Les' jazz stuff, compare that against:

1. Django Reinhardt (jazz)
2. Charlie Christian (jazz)
3. Wes Montgomery (jazz)
4. Eddie Lang (jazz)
5. Lenny Breau (jazz)
6. Joe Pass (jazz)
7. Les Paul (jazz) 

To me, Django, Charlie and Eddie are the core innovators in the jazz guitar realm. The rest are excellent guitarists who added something to the jazz guitar vocabulary along the way. At the end of the day, it's semantics whether Les is 1, 3, 5 or 7, because you'll never find a list ordering that you agree with 100%. It's more important that he actually appears on the list.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Accept2 said:


> To not have Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues on a list, let alone not being #1 really shows how the list is without merit. All those riffs owe EC in one way or another. Its the unwritten law of riffs........


I'd have no problem with it being on the list.

I think Smoke on the Water is at #1, because it's the most iconic overall.
Everybody knows it, it's used in commercials, and it gets butchered in music stores. It's memorable.

The ironic thing is most people I see playing it, play it incorrectly. There's even a video of Ritchie Blackmore talking about the song/riff.

Smoke on the Water


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

zontar said:


> The ironic thing is most people I see playing it, play it incorrectly. There's even a video of Ritchie Blackmore talking about the song/riff.


Pfff - Richie Blackmore! What does he know? And hes playing it on an acoustic - thats not brewtal in the slightest ! :rockon2:


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## nickt (Apr 4, 2008)

smoke on the water would be my Number: 1 choice, 


but again as with music is hard to have one favorite there is so much great work out there !!!:rockon2::smilie_flagge17::food-smiley-004:


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> Pfff - Richie Blackmore! What does he know? And hes playing it on an acoustic - thats not brewtal in the slightest ! :rockon2:


Well he did make up the riff.
And I am aware he doesn't play it identically in that video to how he played it on the original recording. Sounds pretty cool. I'm not basing my ironic comment on the video--that's an extra bonus.

Most people I see play it with three stings--or the root & fifth of the power chord. Although there is the point that he picked both strings together, not strumming it. I've tried it with a slightly angled Stash Wicked pick. Sounds pretty good.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

No list of greatest riffs worth its salt could ignore:
Day Tripper by the Beatles, 
Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly, 
Sunshine of Your Love, Crossroads, Tales of Brave Ulysses, or White Room, by Cream, 
Kicks by Paul Revere and the Raiders, 
House of the Rising Sun by the Animals (the first song ever learned by literally millions), 
Louie Louie by the Kingsmen, 
Walk Don't Run by the Ventures, 
Rise and Fall of Fingel Bunt by the Shadows,
Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones,
....and so many more.

Many of these are noted in the 100 greatest riffs list, though some are not.


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## Neill MacInnis (Feb 12, 2006)

john cage's 4'33'' 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HypmW4Yd7SY&feature=related

not a particularly stellar example but it will suffice; truly this is a piece to be heard live (the live sound _*is*_ the essence).


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

zontar said:


> Most people I see play it with three stings--or the root & fifth of the power chord. Although there is the point that he picked both strings together, not strumming it. I've tried it with a slightly angled Stash Wicked pick. Sounds pretty good.


I think I read somewhere at one time that on the actual recording, Ritchie played it as a doublestop in a higher position on the neck with the 5th on the sixth string and the root on the fifth, which gave it a heavier sound. As for that video clip, it's from a DVD on the making of Machine Head, and it's a great video for anyone interested.
-Mikey


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## marshallman (Feb 3, 2006)

Ouch, two peppers songs, and no Crazy train.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

Didn't anyone notice SURVIVOR on that list????


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## stratovani (Jul 1, 2007)

Funny there isn't a single Rush riff anywhere on the list. You'd think there'd be something simple like Working Man on the list somewhere, for cryin' out loud!


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