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Riff: meaning, definitions and examples

๐ŸŽธ
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riff

 

[ rษชf ]

Noun / Verb
Context #1 | Noun

music

A short, repeated musical phrase or pattern used as a foundation for a composition.

Synonyms

lick, motif, phrase, theme

Examples of usage

  • The guitar solo included a catchy riff that stuck in my head.
  • The song's main riff is instantly recognizable.
Context #2 | Verb

music

To play or create a short, repeated musical phrase or pattern.

Synonyms

improvise, jam, play around

Examples of usage

  • The guitarist likes to riff during his solos.
  • She riffs on the piano in a jazz improvisation.

Translations

Translations of the word "riff" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น riff

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคฐเคฟเคซเคผ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Riff

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ riff

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ั€ะธั„

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ riff

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ใƒชใƒ•

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท riff

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ riff

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท riff

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ๋ฆฌํ”„

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุฑูŠููŠ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ riff

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ riff

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ๅณๅ…ด้‡ๅคไนๆฎต

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ riff

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ riff

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ั€ะธั„ั„

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒ แƒ˜แƒคแƒ˜

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ riff

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ riff

Etymology

The word 'riff' originated in the world of jazz music in the 1930s, where it referred to a short repeated phrase played by a musician during a solo or improvisation. Over time, the term has expanded to other genres of music, such as rock and blues, and is now commonly used in the general music lexicon to describe a catchy or memorable musical phrase.

See also: riffs.

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #28,623, this word represents specialized academic or technical vocabulary. It's less frequently encountered but may be valuable in specific contexts.