Riffs
One very common musical technique in Jazz, Blues and Rock playing is the use of riffs. A riff is a short musical idea (usually one or two bars long) which is repeated throughout a song. A riff can be altered and varied (e.g., played at different pitches) to fit a chord progression. Here is an example of a riff applied to the 12 Bar Blues progression.
The Eighth Rest
This is an eighth rest.
It indicates half a beat of silence.
The use of eighth rests on the beat is a very common way of achieving syncopated rhythms.
The following example demonstrates a common way of using eighth rests. Remember to count in your mind to keep time while you are playing.
The Natural Sign
This is a natural sign.
A natural sign cancels the effect of a sharp or flat for the rest of that bar, or until another sharp or flat sign occurs within that bar. Notice the alternation between F natural and F sharp in example 78.
One of the most common uses of the natural sign is to temporarily cancel the effect of a key signature. In the following example, the key signature indicates that F notes are to be played as F#, so a natural sign is needed to indicate the F@ in each bar.
This 12 Bar Blues makes use of sharp, flat and natural signs.
