Last lesson we composed a 12-bar melody section – if you need a bit more time, do go back to the previous lesson and complete these steps. 

In this lesson we’re going to create a bass riff and the good news is it’s really similar to how you composed the head motif.

In this lesson we’ll cover:

  1. Listening to riff examples
  2. Composing an effective bass riff

A riff is a memorable repeating bass line heard at the start of a song, and can sometimes continue throughout.

The bass riff will be similar to your head motif but shorter (2 bars repeated) and simpler.

1. Listening to riffs

Below are some well-known riffs that you might recognise.  As you’re listening, try to focus on what makes them memorable.

Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple
  • This riff only uses 4 notes
  • The rhythm is simple
  • We hear the riff 6 times before the voices come in.
  • The musical texture builds up with each playing of the riff

Day Tripper

Day Tripper by The Beatles
  • This riff only uses 4 notes
  • The rhythm is simple
  • We hear the riff 6 times before the voices come in.
  • The musical texture builds up with each playing of the riff

Layla

Layla by Eric Clapton
  • This riff has a ‘question and answer’ structure – the first phrase is answered by a different musical phrase
  • The ‘question’ phrase keeps returning and is what makes this song memorable
  • It starts on an upbeat

2. Composing a riff

To demonstrate how to compose your own riff, here are three for you to look at and listen to. When it comes to composing your own, you can write either 2 or 4 bars.

Riff examples

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Now it’s your turn

Using the notes of the blues scale, create a memorable 2-bar or 4-bar bass riff.

It’s a good idea to start it on note C.

Here’s a reminder of the blues scale notes: C – E flat – F – G flat – G natural – B flat

Now record your riff (either by writing it down, inputting into a notation programme or recording into a DAW), along with your head motif.

How did you get on? Hopefully you now have a memorable bass riff as well as a head melody from the previous lesson. Next lesson we’re going to spend a few minutes setting up your score or DAW file before moving onto writing a chord sequence.

Let’s Go!

Click the MARK COMPLETE button below and move on to the next lesson.