When is a riff not a riff?

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: Mr Red
Date: 23 Dec 25 - 02:28 PM

Nobody mentioned the chorus.
In Contra & Irish Set dancing they often refer to verse & chorus.
But no riff or raff.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Dec 25 - 04:12 PM

The opening of Day Tripper.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 23 Dec 25 - 05:19 PM

Paperback Writer

Some famous Country Music riffs-
Mama Tried by Merle Haggard (Roy Nichols gtr.)
Honky Tonk Man by Johnny Horton (? gtr.)
Big River by Johnny Cash (Luther Perkins gtr.)

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 23 Dec 25 - 05:33 PM

... and that opening riff of Oh Well by Fleetwood Mac from the Peter Green era. Maybe the heaviest one ever. Gary Moore wound up with Green's   Les Paul as his main ax for quite awhile.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: PHJim
Date: 24 Dec 25 - 01:32 AM

I think of a riff as a repeated phrase that can be used over more than one set of chord changes. Sometimes the final note will vary.
I have a bunch of four bar riffs that I use three times for a 12-bar blues.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 31 Dec 25 - 11:11 AM

Sigh: you've driven me tpo the dictionary, folks ....

riff Jazz ~n 1. an ostinato played over changing harmonies. ~vb. 2. to play or perform riffs. [C20: probably altered and shortened from REFRAIN.]

As it happens, I use the first computer-sorted Collins's (© 1979) with the interesting mistakes still present, so pinches of salt may be in order.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: DaveRo
Date: 31 Dec 25 - 12:56 PM

The current online Merriam Webster gives 4 definitions for riff as a noun. So 45 years and the Atlantic Ocean does make a difference. The relevant one is similar but different:

an ostinato phrase (as in jazz) typically supporting a solo improvisation

[There was an interesting piece in the New Yorker recently: Is the Dictionary Done For? (Paywalled, but maybe somebody here is a subscriber and can share a link.]

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: clueless don
Date: 05 Jan 26 - 06:39 AM

Dave the Gnome: I believe that Mr. Lennon was referring to the entire guitar part that precedes the vocal, not just the opening feedback.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: GUEST,Buttons
Date: 05 Jan 26 - 11:10 PM

A riff is a riff...just like a lick is a lick

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Jan 26 - 01:36 AM

a riff is not a riff when it is played by the riff raff

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jan 26 - 02:08 AM

sandflea is nipping at ankles again:)
Try healing the rift for a change son

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Jan 26 - 02:41 AM

happy new year to you too

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Jan 26 - 04:41 AM

Puns on the Word "Riff"

    She-riff: What you call a female police officer who plays lead guitar.
    Riff-raff: When the opening guitar parts of a song are low quality.
    Mid-riff: A guitar lick played halfway through a song.
    Don’t let it cause a riff: Advice to bandmates to avoid an argument over a musical phrase.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 06 Jan 26 - 06:41 AM

I think we need a Rifferee to settle this dispute.

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jan 26 - 08:55 AM

The clue is in the etymology, “riff” = ‘repeated figure’
Incidentally I thought Wyman’s first name was really Reg, same as Elton…

Subject: RE: When is a riff not a riff?
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Jan 26 - 10:37 AM

Wyman was born as William George Perks in Lewisham Hospital in Lewisham, South London