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Greatest Rock Guitar Riffs

A British guitar magazine recently polled it readers to compile a list of the greatest guitar riffs. Guns 'N Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" came in at the number spot. Here's a link to the poll results. As you can see the list is entirely metal oriented.

My list would include:

The Chuck Berry intro
The Chuck Berry rhythm
The Bo Diddley beat
Temptations - My Girl
Kinks - You Really Got Me
Steely Dan - Reelin' In the Years
Sam & Dave (Steve Cropper) - Soul Man
Stone Temple Pilots - Plish
Beatles - I Feel Fine intro
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze intro

Is it my fault that nearly all the great riffs are pre-1980?

What's on your list?
128x128onhwy61
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Steve Denny - Oscuro/Magic Box

Imagine David Gilmore or Jeff Beck with a Flamenco and Middle Eastern flair, and a few '50's/'60's movie samples to boot.

Pathos, power and emotion with great control.
fujindemon
134 posts
 
we have a man down...he has lost all sense of zeppelin riffage...the hendrix and sabbath picks are acceptable, but...
"whole lotta love" and "heartbreaker" KILL "stairway to heaven"...which itself is a great although overplayed song...still,no contest...not even close...
btw, in no way am i trying to launch a heated debate or hurt feelings...
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
They ALL belong to Frank Zappa IMHO and the list of riffs is truely infinite.
bigjoe's avatar
bigjoe
693 posts
 
im with marakanetz,fz did all of them the best,the entire shut up & play yer guitar double album is 1 big riff.

mike
creeper
251 posts
 
Fujindemon,

No hurt feelings. I threw that one in because when I was learning to play guitar in the mid 80's, Stairway was one of the most overplayed riffs of the day. It seemed like everyone of my era knew it (at least the beginning, few learned the whole song). Same for Purple and Iron, everyone knew them.
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