How To Do Riffs on Guitar

How Do You Make Up Your Own Guitar Riffs?

Making up riffs on the guitar is pretty easy once you know the secret called the Key Concept click here to learn about the key concept.

On this page you'll discover how to make up your own riffs in the Key of G, because that's the easiest key to start making up riffs in.

Make Up Riffs in the Key of G
To make up riffs you just play parts of chords and mix in notes from the super simple solo pattern. Just follow three simple steps :

1 CREATES a Chord Progression in the Key of G!

2 DISCOVER the Super Simple Solo Pattern!

3 MAKE UP Riffs!

Here's an example:

1. CREATES a Chord Progression in the Key of G!

First you create a chord progression to use as the foundation for your riffs.

So create a chord progression by choosing from chords in the key of G below. You can roll a die to choose chords if you like. These steps to make up a chord progression are the same steps on the Make Up Songs web page.

Here are chords in the key of G:

Here's a chord progression in the key of G:

2 . DISCOVER the Super Simple Solo Pattern!

To make up riffs in the key of G learn the super simple solo pattern on the right. The black dots show you which notes you can play. The left of the diagram shows you which finger to use for each note. To play the notes along the top of the diagram you just play the string by itself (as an open string without any fingers on it). At first, play the notes one at a time in the order shown. So to play the first note, just pluck the low E string by itself. To play the second note, place your middle finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string and pluck that string. To play the third note, pluck the A string by itself. To play the fourth note, place your index finger on the 2nd fret of the A string and pluck that string. To play the rest of the notes just follow the diagram. Then play the notes in the reverse order. Once you get comfortable playing the notes in order, then you can skip around.

3. MAKE UP Riffs!

First make up riffs by alternating between strumming each chord and soloing like you did on the Solo On Lead web page.

In other words, strum the first chord once or twice, then solo by playing any notes in the solo pattern. Do the same thing for the second, third and fourth chords. See the diagram below, then see the next diagram for another example.

Just Play Parts Of Chords
Once you've gotten the alternating down then just play parts of each chord, like only two strings at once. And then mix in individual notes from the solo pattern between playing the chord parts. See the example below.

You can play any notes in each chord or in the solo pattern.

You could make an entire album just by using the chords in the Key of G and this super simple solo pattern. It's that easy.

You can make up riffs up and down the guitar neck and discover the numbered code that I used to figure out these chords in Guitar on the Spot.