a lick is āa stock pattern or phraseā consisting of a short series of notes used in solos
a riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music; it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument,
Really doesnāt matter If you post a lick or a riff Michael, you wonāt be the first one here to get it wrong and weāll listen to it anyway.
As long as you donāt plan to become sheriff, you have nothing to fear
Greetings
First I wanted to to write what Rick put down at the beginning, but I was afraid that that would hold people back, and sometimes it is quite difficult and a lick becomes almost a riff or a riff a lick or at least in the ear for many (at least me ,but what do I know in this short time )ā¦
As long as you donāt lick a riff and record it, everything is fine
That is one of my first and still most played riffs , which I do on the neck there and over the entire neck , if you are not already doing it, play it also in a not-open positionā¦ really great fun to play every where and it will yield a lotā¦
(but I think I donāt or rarely use it with a backing track ?? no idea actually)
Finally another video from you, Iām sitting behind my computer with a big smile
What a nice start to my morning
Thanks,
Hi Pamela,
Off the top of my head I sayā¦ intros can be a lick or multiple licks played together, which is a solo but called an intro because it is at the beginning ā¦I think ā¦ a riff is a pile of notes that are repeated and by which you recognize the song I think ā¦ oh well, it doesnāt matter as said beforeā¦
And if someone goes over the minute we will ask them to post next time in AVOYP (or not ) because then it became a song ā¦probably ā¦I think ā¦
As you can see ,I don`t know and all is good
While a riff is designed to set the vibe, a lick is used to showcase the skills of a guitarist by standing out . Unlike riffs, licks allow a guitarist to perform solos or improvise on an established melodic line of the song. While riffs go down as memorable, licks might not necessarily have the same staying power.
I always thought of licks as the words which when put together make phrases and that riffs are just short rhymic phrases played repeatedly as a back up part and are recognisable.
Good description @Socio. To me a riff is a rhythmic part and a lick is a phrase in a lead part.
@Richard_close2u Justin does describe riffs and licks over a few different lessons although itās not a clear defining point. But the beginner grades are definitely focused on chords and strumming/fingerpicking, not riffs or licks.
All I might see slightly differently is āback up partā. If I think about riffs, those classic most recognisable riffs, then āback upā doesnāt really do it for.
Iām thinking contenders for the most recognisable of all time, dare I say GOAT riffs (have a natural aversion to all this GOAT talk). For example Smoke on the Water, Satisfaction, and (to show Iām not totally into boomer grandad rock) Seven Nation Army.