riff
noun

- a clever or witty remark

- a rapid energetic often improvised verbal outpouring

- a short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song

- an ostinato phrase (as in jazz) typically supporting a solo improvisation; also, a piece based on such a phrase

Wiktionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Languages

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WORD ORIGIN

"Riff" emerged in American jazz and blues around the 1920s, referring to a short, repeated musical phrase or pattern. Jazz musicians used riffs to add rhythm and structure, creating catchy, memorable phrases that often became the backbone of a song.

"Riff" may have come from the term "refrain”, which refers to a repeated line or phrase in music and poetry. It’s thought that musicians shortened and adapted "refrain" to "riff”, emphasizing the quick, repetitive nature of these musical phrases. Another theory suggests that "riff" could be short for "riffle" (as in, to flip through or repeat), although this is less certain.

From jazz, "riff" entered rock, funk, and other genres, becoming a staple term in popular music. It especially took off in rock music, where guitar riffs became iconic parts of songs.

Today, "riff" is used beyond music to mean improvising or playing off an idea creatively, as in "riffing" on a theme in a conversation or a comedy set.


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REMEMBER THESE RIFFS?
7 of the Most Famous Guitar Riffs in Musical History

1. “Day Tripper" = The Beatles (George Harrison/John Lennon) 1965


2. "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" = The Rolling Stones (Keith Richards) 1965


3. "Purple Haze" = The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Jimi Hendrix) 1967

4. "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 1969


5. "Layla" = Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton) 1970


6. "Stairway to Heaven" = Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 1971


7. "Smoke on the Water" = Deep Purple (Ritchie Blackmore) 1972

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SYNONYMS



ad-lib, backing phrase, bass line, bassline, beat, boogie, cadence, chord, chord progression, chorus, commentary, counterpoint, descant, drum pattern, figure, fill, flick, flip, groove, haywire, hook, improvisation, improvised phrase, jam, lick, loop, lyric, medley, melody, melody line, motif, musical phrase, ostinato, pattern, phrase, phrasing, refrain, repeat, repetition, rhythm, rhythmic pattern, riffage, RIFF, rip, run, sequence, solo, strain, theme

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Going back to the 60’s and 70’s, there are some guitar RIFFS I just can’t get out of my head.”

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