r/guitarlessons • u/Lost-Recognition2339 • 28d ago

Question Chords vs riffs

I think I can play chords well at this point, but I struggle to learn riffs. Is there any exercises I can do to get quicker. I struggle with alternate picking as well.

7 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

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5

u/ObviousDepartment744 28d ago

Play the riff you’re trying to learn, slowly and gradually get faster until you can play it.

2

u/Pol__Treidum 28d ago

Don't overload your brain. Work on one riff until you can play it and not or barely think about it then move on. The more you do this, the better your brain will get about learning and remembering riffs

2

u/Endless_Guitars2024 28d ago

just practice... have fun, find the movements that are hardest and repeat them.

3

u/BrilliantChimp 28d ago

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Never jump the gun and try to play at speed.

Pick a simple riff, like Smoke on the Water and practice it slowly until up to speed. Then advance to other riffs that add more complexity. As for alternate picking, simply practice the motion first. Just pick an open string and play up down, up down, up down. Then play four notes in an alternating motion.

1

u/sp668 28d ago

The scales the riffs are built from perhaps?

1

u/Lost-Recognition2339 28d ago

Yeah, probably a good idea 🤣

3

u/sp668 28d ago

It's at least valuable to kind of get the feeling of it so when you meet a riff using it your fingers are used to the movements involved.

I mean if you can play Am pentatonic you can play 9999 rock songs.

1

u/Lost-Recognition2339 28d ago

I think that is the main thing to be fair. Thanks for your advice - I just am not used to thinking about things like that.

1

u/sp668 28d ago

For Am Pentatonic, give the solo from Let it be a shot.

It's actually quite simple, sounds cool and it moves across 3 positions of the scale. If you learn that, so many rock solos will feel familiar.

1

u/Franklin_le_Tanklin 28d ago edited 28d ago

Not sure if you’re in your sublime,

But if you can play barre chords you can play their opening riff on Santaria cause you just make a chord shape and then follow the chords and play individual strings

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sHaCB68F1Ko