Though the terms guitar lick and guitar riff are frequently used interchangeably, there are differences between the two, and understanding them helps you to make better sense of the music you’re learning.
This lesson first explains the differences between these two terms before showing how riffs and licks are used in various musical genres.
Finally, we’ll take a look at some related terms that can be either be used interchangeably with riffs or licks, or imply something different.
Differences between riffs and licks
First, we’ll look at some of the key differences between a guitar lick and a guitar riff.
- Their role in music
Riffs are an element of rhythm guitar playing while licks are an element of lead guitar playing.
While riffs are often repeated throughout the song, forming its body (over which some other part usually provides the melody, such as a singer or a soloist) licks are incomplete pieces of melody that embellish the song.
The following is an example of each:
- A riff is meant to be repeated, a lick is meant to be decorative
In the preceding example, the riff is repeated but the lick is not.
This is not a coincidence because a riff is designed to be repeated over and over, with little or no variation.
In fact in many Rock, Heavy Metal and Punk songs, the rhythm part is made entirely of riffs.
Licks, on the other hand, are intended to decorate and enhance the song. Thus, if you combine all of the licks in a song, you’ll notice a lot of variation between them. (A good example of a song with a lot of licks is Gary Moore’s Still Got the Blues. Notice how the licks in this song are different but complement each other).
- A riff is a full theme, a lick is incomplete
Licks derive meaning from the context of the music they are played in. They’re incomplete pieces of melody that embellish the rest of the music.
Riffs, on the other hand, are complete musical themes in themselves.
If I mention the name of a song with cool licks, such as Still Got the Blues, you (probably) won’t immediately recognize any specific lick.
However, if I mention the name of a song famous for its riff, such as Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple, one’s mind immediately goes dan-dan-dan, dan-dan-da-dan, and so on.
A riff is memorable because it is a complete musical theme in its own right.
Tendencies
The differences between riffs and licks are clarified above, and if the music meets those criteria, you can safely say it’s a lick or a riff.
However, due to these distinctions, licks and riffs have two tendencies:
1. Riffs are typically played on lower guitar notes, whereas licks tend to be played on higher pitches.
2. Riffs typically combine multiple notes (or a combination of single notes, double stops, and chords). Licks are typically played one note at a time.
There are numerous exceptions to these since they’re only tendencies.
For example, the intro riff of Guns N Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine is played on higher notes, but it is still a riff because it is repeated and represents a complete musical theme.
Types of riffs and licks
Some genres of music, like Heavy Metal and Funk, are more famous for their guitar riffs while others, like blues, are more known for their guitar licks.
The following are some examples of licks and riffs in each of these genres.
Hard Rock and Heavy Metal
In heavy music, the guitar riff is king.
Heavy metal riffs are usually played with distortion, and use power chords, single notes and double stops as note combinations while the technique of palm muting is frequently applied.
The following are some songs that are known for their captivating riffs. Notice that many of these riffs also serve as the introduction to the song, captivating the listener.
Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water, Black Night, Speed King
Rolling Stones – Satisfaction, Start Me Up, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking
Nirvana – Smells like Teen Spirit
Beatles – Day Tripper
Iron Maiden – Mother Russia, Hallowed be Thy Name, The Trooper
Judas Priest – Breaking the Law, Rocka Rolla, The Ripper
Rainbow – Man on the Silver Mountain, Since You’ve Been Gone
Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train, Mr. Tinkertrain, I Don’t Know
Black Sabbath: NIB, Iron Man, Paranoid
Metallica: Enter Sandman, Blackened, For Whom The Bell Tolls
Since licks are incomplete musical ideas and less memorable, they don’t become “famous” like the riffs of the songs mentioned above. However note that in hard rock and heavy metal music, licks are also scattered all over songs.
Add to that, most heavy metal songs also have a guitar solo, which can be can be considered as a series of licks, as will be explained below.
Funk
Funk riffs are usually played clean (without distortion) and can be made of single notes, double stops, triads and, and a wide variety of other chords like suspended and extended chords (such as 7th, 9th or 11th).
Most riffs are based on sixteenth note patterns where some notes (or chords) are played and others are muted.
The following are some famous Funk guitar riffs.
James Brown – Sex Machine
Wild Cherry – Play that Funky Music
Earth Wind and Fire – Shining star
Stevie Wonder – Superstition
The Meters – Look Ka Py Py
Commodores – Brick House
Chic – Le Freak, Good Times
As with heavy metal, many funk songs have guitar licks scattered all over the songs.
What makes funk different is that these licks aren’t just coming from the guitar but also from other instruments that are not commonly used in rock and metal like synthesizers, horns and the clavinet.
Blues
In blues music, guitar riffs usually follow the 12 bar blues progression. You can learn more about blues guitar riffs here.
Licks in blues are a very important component. Blues is where guitar licks are plenty and the variation between one another can be wide. Go to this lesson to start building a vocabulary of blues guitar licks.
Other names and terms
To avoid confusion, in this last section of this lesson we’ll discuss some terms that are either related to licks and riffs, or can be used interchangeably
- Vamp: Though the term vamp can take a slightly different meaning in certain genres of music like Jazz, it can be understood as the same thing as a riff.
- Solo: A guitar solo can be seen as a series of licks that sound good together. However, while licks are an incomplete musical theme, in a solo they form a whole musical concept. This means that a good soloist is not just throwing random licks, but also thinking about the solo’s form, when to reach climaxes and so on. Also, while the main role of a lick is to embellish the music, the solo is the time for the guitarist to shine.
- Fills: A fill can be a lick, but it’s meant to fill in a space in music. Though electric guitar fills are used, fills tend to be more associated with other instruments like keyboards, drums and bass guitar.
One final note
Music terminology such as the above is not always consistent and may vary from a musical era to another, across different genres, and when applied to different instruments.
For instance these terms take a slightly different meaning in Jazz than in Rock music. And in classical music they’re not used at all. In the classical world they use terms like motif, and ostinato rather than licks and riffs.
What this means is that while you should have a basic understanding of these terms, you should use them to know what role you’re taking on the guitar, rather than fuss over the terminology.
You may see licks referred to as riffs, riffs as fills, riffs as vamps or licks as fills.
Does it really matter?
If you’re a guitar player, and not embarking on the study of musical linguistics, it shouldn’t.
You may consider giving a donation, by which you will be helping a songwriter achieve his dreams. Each contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference.
