They hear it and decipher it, and the musical statement becomes more than just a simple guitar riff. Let’s start with the riff in Figure 1, which is played in the key of E, or E minor.

A guitar riff is the hook of a song ... They’re catchy because they’re easy to sing or hum along to and have a habit of not leaving our brains, even when we want them to (becoming what ...

He’s mused on how songwriting has changed over the years, which has come at the expense of the riff and people’s exposure to ...