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Riffin’ on a Riff… Smoke on the Water – inspired by a Bossa Nova? Hear it to believe it!

So what’s a riff?

Songs that sound like Smoke on the Water usually feature a catchy riff. I don’t know about you, but when I think of the word “riff” I hear distorted guitars in my head, it’s something powerful (not wimpy!), repeating, catchy and cool!

 

Wikipedia says


A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music; it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompaniment of a musical composition.

Though riffs are most often found in rock music, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, classical music is also sometimes based on a riff, such as Ravel's Boléro.

Riffs can be as simple as a tenor saxophone honking a simple, catchy rhythmic figure, or as complex as the riff-based variations in the head arrangements played by the Count Basie Orchestra.

David Brackett defines riffs as "short melodic phrases", while Richard Middleton defines them as "short rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic figures repeated to form a structural framework".

Rikky Rooksby states: "A riff is a short, repeated, memorable musical phrase, often pitched low on the guitar, which focuses much of the energy and excitement of a rock song."

Okay, I am on board with all of that. Also: riffs are super fun to play. Rock pose? check!!  

You will never guess where this riff originated from

Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water sure is an example for a truly iconic rock riff: 
Check out the guitar chords – voiced in inverted fifths – moving in a catchy rhythm (at first on the beat, then syncopated, same thing, but on the off beats) are simply unforgettable. The way the band builds the riff is remarkable, too:
Guitar starts
Add sixteenth note highhat
Add snare on 2 and 4
Add pumping eighth note bass line that pedals on the G and only follows the chords in the later part

A burning riff, for sure. But you know what else is burning? Lake Geneva! Songs that sound like “smoke on the water” and “fire in the sky” tell the story of the Montreux Casino (“gambling house” in the lyrics) having been set on fire by “some stupid with a flare gun” during a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert.     

Check this out - Hear it to believe it

Much speculation abounds about the origins of the riff. Richie Blackmore stated at one point in an interview it was Beethoven’s Fifth backwards – which it really is not. What it however resembles remarkably closely is this lovely bossa nova by Astrud Gilberto… Wait for it at the ten second mark…

The band was listening to all types of music including bossa and Jazz during that time… maybe it seeped into Richie’s unconscious. Just like the title of the song which came to bassist Roger Clover in a dream…

What is your favorite riff?

Let us know in the comments.

Join Rob Smith teaching you some of his favorite Riffs!

Cool Live Classes starting June 6th!

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Higher Ground – Slap Version!

Slap

As I am getting ready for NAMM show in a couple of weeks, slapping is on my mind. Ah, I can already hear it – the beautiful cacophony of drums, guitars and slap bass sounds…  

meanwhile back home at the ranch we have a 10 week Live Class with Rob Smith coming up! And one of the tunes you will do is Higher Ground – a Stevie Wonder Original with an epic RHCP version – with Flea slapping the slap and popping the pop. 

It's Thumbs up!

When you are looking to learn to slap (thump) and pop (pop a higher string with your index or middle finger), octaves are a great shape because they make for a comfortable hand position. 

A great approach is to simply finger the octave with a 1-4 fingering; just shift it around on the E and D strings which allows your right hand to stay in position.  


(Transcription via Rob Smith)

 

The rhythm is shuffled – a hard rock shuffle if you will the way the RHCP play it! Nail those triplets by making them even! It’s a great riff to practice consistency – is your thump and slap the same volume? 

 

For your right hand chops the riff offers two great patterns:
TTP – thump thump pop
and
TPT – thump pop thump

Two thump strokes in a row are a good practice.
Pay attention to the three thump strokes in a row (from E to the two Gs) and get them consistent. 

The notes E G and A – root, minor third, fourth – are super common in rock riffs. They are the first three notes of the minor pentatonic scale:

Just think of Smoke on the Water (in Gm) or La Grange by ZZ Top, Another one bites the dust. 

Or, these notes could also be 5 – flat7 – root just as with Stratus.

Octave

This excerpt is from my theory wall chart. Use the orange fingering (2 by 2 formula).

 

octave bass ariane cap

Practice Variation

Transpose the riff up a minor third using the same octave grip and shifting it around, the new challenge becomes to shift from the G to the Bb in time. It’s easier in E with the open string.

 

 

Rob's Live Class

10 weeks live on zoom with Rob Smith who has recently made his debut on our platform teaching live classes on rock riffs. Find out more about Rob here.  Class starts on June 6th. You have access to all the materials and reruns for the 10 weeks and 10 weeks after. Sign up now and reserve your seat!

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Sing and Play (Performance Video)

Sing and Play

I recently got invited to participate in a fundraiser for NextDoor, a domestic violence shelter that one of my bands, Girls Got The Blues (Lara Price) has been working with for a long time. We played this fundraiser live for many years until the pandemic put the brakes on that. However, Lara doesn’t take no for an answer when it comes to supporting those who need it, so we moved the concert online. I was determined to do something live this year rather than submit a video, so I worked up a tune that I like to sing, it’s called Cry if You Want to, written by Casey Scott, made famous by Holy Cole on her album Don’t Smoke in Bed.

It is a good exercise to arrange a song for just voice and bass!

For one, singing while playing is a bit of a challenge in itself, so I had to carefully work up how vocals and the bass line intersect with each other (more on that at another time!)

The other consideration is the fact that it’s only voice and bass, so the bass had better do something interesting to keep listeners engaged.

Here are some of the devices I used:

Techniques/Sounds

I kept things simple for the most part, but to add variety and texture, I used harmonics, tapping, plucking and chords.

Arrangement

The song consists essentially of mostly repeating A sections comprised of 2 or 3 chords and a bridge.

I approached each verse by varying the technique I used, from just simply playing roots to chords, tapping, harmonics, and more. I enjoyed working up a harmony with the bass for some short sections to add interest. Each verse and the bridge had their main flavor in that regard which underscore the story.

Inspired by the Holly Cole version, I wanted to have a driving ostinato-type rhythm as the basic idea. I mostly stuck to the original simple chords, however, I took the liberty to change the A major to an A7 (for a little bluesy nod) and I re-harmonized a few sections. The A7 adds a touch of a bluesy flavor.

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song are quite story-like, so some bass lines practically wrote themselves…

  • When the lyric says “go down with the ship” I let the bass line descend. (caveat: too much of this can sound comical. I felt this was just a nod to the lyrics and hence fitting)
  • Where the words talk about the advice not to have fun I re-harmonized the chord to sound a bit gloomy (to underscore the “no fun” line).
  • Where the lyric talks about “showing things and throwing things” I went into a double time tapping frenzy to express the internal turmoil…

Conclusion

It’s a great exercise to create arrangements with melody and bass only. In this song, simple definitely does it. What are your favorite songs to do with just bass and voice?

Hope you enjoy this one…