Learn Guitar Riffs for Beginners: Three Easy Riffs with Tabs and Sound

What a riff is and why to start with one

A riff takes one or two bars and repeats. It trains three things at once: rhythm, clean tone production and finger memory. It is easier to learn from than a whole song because you hear the result within minutes.

All the examples below are original, not other people's songs. You can slow each one to 60 percent, switch on the loop and open it in the Riffonic studio.

Riff 1: the open string

The easiest beginner guitar riffs are built on one open string with a couple of frets. Here it is the sixth string: the open string, then the third and the fifth fret. The left hand has almost nothing to do, so all your attention goes to even eighth notes with the picking hand.

Riff 2: five notes of the pentatonic

The next step is the notes of the minor pentatonic in the first position, frets five to eight. These are the same notes that solos are made of, so the riff prepares your hand right away. Some notes are palm muted, which gives a tight rock sound.

Riff 3: fifths and palm muting

The third riff is played with fifths, which are two notes on neighboring strings, and with palm muting. It moves along the neck, so you have to land on the frets accurately. More on the techniques: power chords and palm muting.

Guitar riff exercises: how to learn each one

One routine works for any riff:

• Play the riff at 60 percent speed together with the example.
• Play it with a metronome at 60 to 70 BPM three times in a row without mistakes.
• Raise the tempo by 5 BPM. If you make a mistake, go back one step.
• Learn the riff without the tab and record yourself on your phone.

From learned riffs to your own

When all three riffs are clean, it is time to invent your own: take notes of the pentatonic and place them in a rhythm. The riff builder is made for that. More articles for the next step: first electric guitar riffs and how to learn a difficult riff.