Creating Riffs From Scales

Lesson 2/194 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Rhythm Guitar

Creating Riffs From Scales

In lesson 28 you learnt about riffs (repeating rhythmic patterns of notes applied to chord progressions). Most riffs are created either from a scale or a combination of scales and arpeggios. The most common scale for creating riffs is the minor pentatonic scale. Pentatonic means five notes. In the A minor pentatonic scale these notes would be A C D E and G.

A Minor Pentatonic Scale

Play the scale ascending and descending as shown here. Try to get a smooth, even sound.

To help develop your picking it is a good idea to practice playing each note twice.

Here are some riffs derived from the A minor pentatonic scale. Memorize them and then try making up some of your own. The better you know the sound of the scale and the fingering, the easier this will be.

This 12 bar Blues shuffle riff in the key of A is also derived from the minor pentatonic scale. In the final bar, there is an extra note which comes from the Blues scale, which is discussed in later lessons. Notice the fingering in the second bar of this example. The second note of beat 3 and the first note of the triplet on beat 4 are both played with the 3rd finger. The first note is played with the tip of the finger and the finger is then flattened across towards the D string, so the second note can be played. This is a common technique, so it is worth spending some time practicing it.

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- The C Major Chord 3- A Major Chord 4- Eighth Note Rhythms 5- Minor Chords 6- F Major Chord 7- B Minor Chord 8- Silent Strums and Continuous Rhythms 9- Suspended Chords 10- Bass Note Rhythm Patterns in Four Four Time 11- Alternative Chord Shapes 12- How to Read Music 13- Notes on the First String 14- LESSON THIRTEEN 15- Notes on the Fourth String 16- Rhythm Notation 17- Learning all the Notes 18- The Major Scale 19- Intervals 20- Understanding Chords 21- Chord Construction – Triads 22- Scale Tone Chords 23- Minor Scales and Keys 24- Relative Keys 25- Minor Key Scale Tone Triads 26- Playing Two Strings Together 27- Rests 28- Identifying Rhythms 29- Syncopation 30- Bar Chords 31- Learning the Whole Fretboard 32- Moveable Chord Shapes in Five Forms 33- Moveable Minor Chord Shapes 34- The Triplet 35- More About 12 Bar Blues 36- Seventh Chords 37- Creating Riffs From Scales 38- Open Position Minor Pentatonic Scale 39- The Blues Scale 40- Boogie Rhythms 41- Sixteenth Notes 42- Major Seventh Chords 43- Ninth Chords 44- Extended Chords 45- Sliding Chords 46- Slurs 47- Modes 48- The Seven Sharp Nine Chord 49- Tritones 50- Chord Embellishment 51- Odd Time Signatures 52- Playing With a Band 53- Playing With a Rhythm Section 54- Putting it all Together 55- Moveable Chord Shapes 56- Tuning 57- Using the Compact Discs 58- Strumming 59- Slide Finger 60- Eighth Note Rhythms Patterns 61- Three Four Time Rhythm Patterns 62- Turnaround Progressions 63- Silent Strum Symbols 64- Alternate Bass Note Picking 65- Major Sixth Chords 66- Tablature 67- Overdrive and Distortion 68- Alternate Picking 69- Notes on the Fifth String 70- Major Chord Formations 71- Tones and Semitones 72- The G Major Scale 73- Interval Qualities 74- Arpeggios 75- Augmented and Diminished Chords 76- Major Key Triad Pattern 77- The Natural Minor Scale 78- Slash Chords 79- Power Chords 80- Percussive Strumming 81- Riffs 82- Changing Between Shapes 83- Note on the Guitar Fretboard 84- Three Note Chord Voicings 85- The Half Bar 86- Strumming Triplets 87- New Topic 88- Moveable 7th Chord Forms 89- E Minor Pentatonic Scale 90- Open Position A Blues Scale 91- Experimenting With Sounds 92- Riffs Using Sixteenth Notes 93- Minor Seventh Chords 94- Eleventh Chords 95- Combining Riffs and Chords 96- Slurs Using Open Strings 97- The Mixolydian Mode 98- 7sus Chords 99- 6ths 100- The Bass 101- Working With Another Guitarist 102- Chord Formulas 103- Electronic Tuning 104- The Seventh Chord 105- 12 Bar Blues 106- Bass Note Rhythm Patterns 107- Alternate Chord Fingerings 108- Rhythm Variations 109- Music Notation 110- Notes on the Second String 111- Notes on the Sixth String 112- Ties 113- Sharps 114- Keys and Key Signatures 115- Interval Distances 116- Transposing 117- The Harmonic Minor Scale 118- Bass Runs 119- Moveable Power Chords 120- Developing Rhythmic Control 121- Notes in More Than One Place 122- Four Note Chord Voicings 123- Three and Four Note Minor Chords Voicings 124- Understanding Triplet Rhythms 125- Voicings 126- Open Position E Blues Scale 127- Common 16th Note Figures 128- Jazz Progressions 129- Thirteenth Chords 130- Sixteenth Note Triplets 131- Swamp Sounds 132- The Dorian Mode 133- 3rds 134- Bass Music Notation 135- Scale Tone Seventh Construction 136- Tuning Your Guitar 137- Chord Progressions 138- The Open Position 139- Notes on the Third String 140- The Lead-in 141- The Chromatic Scale 142- Finding Intervals on the Fretboard 143- Primary Chords 144- The Melodic Minor Scale 145- Chords in Other Minor Keys 146- Right Hand Damping 147- Playing Two Strings With the First Finger 148- Position Playing 149- Root 4 and Root 3 Chords 150- Quarter Note Triplets 151- Superimposing Chord Forms 152- Gaining Control of Sixteenth Notes 153- Chord Construction Chart 154- Other Modes 155- 4ths 156- The Drums 157- Scale Tone 7ths in all Keys 158- Acoustic Guitars 159- Rhythm Patterns 160- The Octave 161- Flats 162- Identifying Intervals by Ear 163- Harmonizing Melodies 164- Table of Minor Scales 165- Transposing in Minor Keys 166- Rock "n" Roll Chords 167- Add Nine Chords 168- Higher and Lower Octaves of Notes 169- Swing Rhythms 170- Power Chord Sixteenth Note Parts 171- Omitting Notes From Chords 172- Major 7ths 173- Drum Notation 174- Altered Chord Formulas 175- Electric Guitars 176- Open Chord Shapes 177- Common Progressions 178- Harmonic Minor Scale Tone Chords 179- Adding Scale Tones To Chords 180- The Shuffle 181- Altered Chords 182- Minor 7ths 183- Amplifiers 184- Chord Shapes 185- Melodic Minor Scale Tone Chords 186- 2nds and 5ths 187- Strings 188- How to Hold the Guitar 189- The Rudiments of Music 190- Time Signatures 191- Note Values 192- Note, Rhythms and Rests 193- Chord Diagrams 194- Rhythm Symbols

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Creating Riffs From Scales