Riff

In music, a riff is an ostinato; a repeated set of notes, pattern, or melody, often played by rhythmic instruments. The riff is the base of the musical composition. They are most common in rock music, funk, and jazz.

Some of famous riffs in rock music can be found in the following songs:

• Deep Purple – "Smoke On The Water"
• AC/DC – "Highway to Hell"
• Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
• Metallica – "Enter Sandman"
• Michael Jackson – "Beat It"
• Chuck Berry – "Johnny B. Goode"
• The White Stripes – "Seven Nation Army"
• Black Sabbath – "Iron Man"
• Jimi Hendrix – "Purple Haze"
• The Rolling Stones – "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
• Guns n Roses – "Sweet Child O'Mine"
• Queen – "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Riff Media

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  Ostinato from Radiohead's "Creep" features modal mixture, common tones between adjacent triads (B between G & B, C and G between C+ & C−), and an emphasis on subdominant harmony (IV = C in G major).