Hey, if you're not aware, there's a music page on youtube called Sea of Tranquility, which is ran by Pete Pardo, and there's tons of great music content!! It's just music talk, no playing, etc. but I recommend you subscribing to the page and watching it when you can. Every day this month, he's talking about his favorite guitar players and 3 of their best riffs. Please respond and give me a few of your favorites so far. Here's what I've included on my list so far these first 8 days:
Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top):
Just Got Paid
Heard It On The X
Tush
Keith Richards (Rolling Stones):
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
The Last Time
All Down The Line
Joe Walsh (James Gang, Eagles, Solo):
Funk #49
Life In The Fast Lane
Life's Been Good
James Hetfield (Metallica):
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Creeping Death
Master Of Puppets
John Fogerty (CCR):
Born On The Bayou
Green River
Up Around The Bend
Jimi Hendrix:
Fire
Wait Until Tomorrow
Burning Of The Midnight Lamp
Gary Rossington/Allen Collins/Ed King/Steve Gaines (Lynyrd Skynyrd):
Gimme Three Steps
Call Me The Breeze
That Smell
Eric Clapton (Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominoes):
Sunshine Of Your Love
Had To Cry Today
Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad
Whoa!!! Sounds very cool!!! This show sounds right up my alley. I am always into podcasts and discussions about music etc. Thanks for the heads up!
You got some good ones. Just Got Paid, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Green River. You listed Hendrix, not a huge fan but always dug the opening guitar and verse guitar playing of Spanish Castle Magic. Very cool riffing.
I would not know where to start ..so many I would have to think about.
When I think about riffs I think about a signature guitar licks that identifies with a song, or just a good old catchy riff you can hum along to or pick up your guitar and bust out.
But my main influence and one of my fav guitar players would be Jimmy Page. He has so many. I am going to try and narrow it down with him and then list my others.
I think with Jimmy and the others I am going to try(maybe not always) and go deep and not the usual suspects so to speak and keep it to a reasonable minimum....if possible.
Bring It On Home
Out on the Tiles
Misty Moutain Hop- This one is so fun to play for me.
Custard Pie
Trampled Under Foot
Sick Again
Walters Walk- this is a great and underrated Zep track and must be played at 11!!
Immigrant Song- Yeah I know, tryng to stay away from the more noteable, but how can you deny this? Such a precursor to a heavy metal sound and with Bonhams drumming. Powerful!
Ten Years Gone- Not sure I would call this a riffy song. This is just my opinion , but this thing I think is Jimmy's master piece. The whole song and guitar work is a thing of beauty. Alot of dynamics.
Like I said, trying to go deep on these.
AC/DC
Dog Eat Dog-will never go down as a classic, but one of my favorites from them and love playing it on my guitar.
Kicked in the Teeth
Walk All Over You-this one also needs to be played extremley loud.
Snowballed, Inject the Venom,Night Of The Long Knives-not the most popular from them, but I love the guitar playing on all three, great stuff. For Those About to Rock is one of my favorite albums from them.
Ballbreaker
Caught With Your Pants Down
Sabbath/Iommi -Iommi is defenetley the "Riff Lord" for sure.
Children of The Grave
Into the Void- just an onslaught of Iommi riffage
Supernaut- one of my fav's from Sab
Sabbra Cadabra
Hole In The Sky
Slipping Away
Zero The Hero
Born To Lose
Deep Purple/Rainbow/Blackmore
Pictures Of Home
Rat Bat Blue
Burn
Tarot Woman
The Shed (Subtle)
All Night Long
Ted The Mechanic-Steve Morse/DP
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Awesome posts! Great choices all. Other Riff Masters are Michael Schenker (the whole Strangers In The Night album!) and Robin Trower Bridge Of Sighs for starters. Hell, the whole album too!
Another great Skynyrd riff is Saturday Night Special.
Could go a million places with this, but quickly, I’d say hard to have a James Gang list and not have Walk Away on it.
Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad, 100% agree. One of the first riffs I worked on learning to play, and I still to this day play through it warming up every time I pick up the guitar. That and Yellow Ledbetter. Not sure why I come to those two, but it gets me in a groove to get grooving.
The first song I learned to play the whole way through on the guitar. I remember first hearing this on 8 track in my junior high wood shop class. Our teacher would play it all of the time. Great opening riff to kick off an album.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
We need more of this from Warren!
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Here's a few others I've added in the last few days:
Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains):
Man In The Box
Them Bones
Rooster
Neil Young:
Cinnamon Girl
Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black
Rockin' In The Free World
Chuck Berry:
Johnny B. Goode
Too Much Monkey Business
Roll Over Beethoven
Stevie Ray Vaughan:
Pride & Joy
Cold Shot
Leave My Girl Alone
Theme from Shaft is a fave xmpl of a masterful riff - also enjoy the wah wah pedal riff of Thank You Fallettin Be Mice Elf Agin🎸
George Thorogood & the Destroyers have many masterful riffs, but just wanted to say get well soon George, who is undergoing surgery for “a serious medical condition”
on topic, the guitar riff in Johnny Winters’ live Mean Town Blues
Neil Young:
Cinnamon Girl
Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black
Rockin' In The Free World
Good call on the Neil stuff.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Here's more riff masters & tunes I've added since the last post:
The Edge (U2) - Sunday Bloody Sunday, Where The Streets Have No Name, City Of Blinding Lights
Joe Perry & Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) - Mama Kin, Same Old Song & Dance, Nobody's Fault
Tom Johnston & Patrick Simmons (Doobie Brothers) - Rockin' Down The Highway, Long Train Runnin', Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)
Mick Ralphs (Bad Company) - Rock Steady, Good Lovin' Gone Bad, Live For The Music
Mick Jones (Foreigner) - Feels Like The First Time, Double Vision, Head Games
Steve Morse started doing this little intro to Smoke On he Water years ago by playing other famous riffs before the song. Pretty Cleaver!!
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
I always dug the main little hooky riff to Eminence Front...cool song as well.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
