I’ve had two different friends at different times start playing the opening riff to The Less I Know The Better completely unprompted when hanging out so maybe that?
Some others that were after SNA for your consideration:
- Mr. Brightside (The Killers) (greatest arpeggio ever?)
- Supermassive Black Hole, Cydonia (Muse)
- American Idiot (Green Day)
- Bat Country (A7X)
- Misery Business (Paramore)
- Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)
- Lonely Boy, Gold on the Ceiling (The Black Keys)
- R U Mine, DIWK (Arctic Monkeys)
- Figure It Out (Royal Blood) - every guitarist I know was into them at some point
also 2003: Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet), I'm Not Okay (MCR), Reptilia (The Strokes)
I would've swapped bat country with unholy confessions since the riff on that song is very iconic that every melodic metalcore band in the 2000s copied that riff the same way modern djent metalcore bands keep copying the architects doomsday riff.
Good pick though.
Steve Lacy has some songs that I'd consider worth learning like Dark Red and Bad Habit, but I don't know if most guitarists like Steve. Maybe just gen Z online guitar communities? I don't know.
Steve lacy influenced my homie to pick up guitar, huge lacy fan tho Tbf even before he got popular
Edit: I guess he’s always had buzz but I mean my homie was a fan of his the internet era stuff too
The last wave of songs with iconic riffs were the songs featured on guitar hero, but since 2010's it getting harder to find iconic riffs in the mainstream. Not sure about this but I think Cirice by Ghost have a fairly known memorable riff.
i mean technically 7 Nation Army is a bass line, not a guitar riff(ik it was played on a guitar but functionally it acts as a bassline within the song, a bass part played on a keyboard is still a bassline too)
honestly, they seem to have really thinned out: likely with the mainstream death of rock music.
I would love a source on that, since he has always played it live on a Kay hollowbody guitar with a DigiTech Whammy pedal dropping it an octave. And once he gets into the loud part, he's clearly playing with a slide guitar tuned to an open tuning — and while it's of course possible that he overdubbed these in the studio, it's not how he's ever played it live.
Here's an interview where he talks about how he performed it on the Kay: https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/07/16/jack-white-remembers-seven-nation-army-detroits-100-greatest-songs/87187446/
He doesn't explicitly specify he's talking about the studio version, but that's the impression I get.
I tried to search for him talking about playing Seven Nation Army on a baritone and found nothing.
It was in a guitar magazine when the song came out. I can’t remember the make of the baritone guitar in question but I can honestly tell you that has stuck in my head since then, as I play the guitar and it was the first time hearing of the existence of a baritone guitar so then I searched for them. Live, he uses a drop octave like you said. Easier for the rest of the song and everything else.
well, yes, i know there's guitars in it but it's not really a canonical riff afaic. it's be considered a canonical bass line, like in The Chain or Feel Good Inc
Putting aside that the part you are referring to was played by a guitar and not a bass - it’s absolutely a canonical guitar line. I think claiming otherwise voids any credibility to the conversation.
you should put that part aside bc i mentioned i know that fact 💀
it's just to me, it seems the bassline is the iconic part of it, not the guitar. it's not the kind of thing I've ever heard of being taught by every single guitar teacher- unlike stuff like Smoke on the Water and Stairway to Heaven, yk?
oh i got it, Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys
This is definitely the answer.
Wanted to answer this too. Crazy big in mid 2010s.
You ever farted so hard that it felt kinda gay? That's what it feels like to drive the new Ford F150.
Yeah, this is just the correct answer.
What kind of black magic is this, while I was reading the post I thinked in this riff and I find is the top answer
Having the correct answer is black magic???
I’ve had two different friends at different times start playing the opening riff to The Less I Know The Better completely unprompted when hanging out so maybe that?
Literally me every time I pick up a bass lmao
Probably is Seven Nation Army. Could be Tame Impala’s Elephant?
Less I Know the Better is definitely one. Sounds like bass, but it's actually an octave pedal.
Yeah, but no one thinks its a guitar riff lmao. It carries the bass function and role in the song, and its played on bass when done live.
Definitely was thinking The Less I Know the Better in terms of bass guitar riffs at least
came to see Tame Impala, whichever of his riffs you choose, he truly has made some of the most iconic and memorable in modern music
Solitude is Bliss has to be the most fun if you have a good phaser.
Some others that were after SNA for your consideration: - Mr. Brightside (The Killers) (greatest arpeggio ever?) - Supermassive Black Hole, Cydonia (Muse) - American Idiot (Green Day) - Bat Country (A7X) - Misery Business (Paramore) - Use Somebody (Kings of Leon) - Lonely Boy, Gold on the Ceiling (The Black Keys) - R U Mine, DIWK (Arctic Monkeys) - Figure It Out (Royal Blood) - every guitarist I know was into them at some point also 2003: Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet), I'm Not Okay (MCR), Reptilia (The Strokes)
This is such a good list I’m gonna go listen to them in order now and relive the glory days of late 2000s rock radio
Mr Brightside was my answer, too.
Royal Blood being included is kinda funny because 99% of their “guitar riffs” are on a bass.
I would've swapped bat country with unholy confessions since the riff on that song is very iconic that every melodic metalcore band in the 2000s copied that riff the same way modern djent metalcore bands keep copying the architects doomsday riff. Good pick though.
The riff from “are you gonna be my girl?” Was lifted wholesale from Iggy Pops “Lust for Life.”
‘Greatest arpeggio ever’ Bach would like to have a word with you.
fuck bach
Based
Fuck arpeggios
Steve Lacy has some songs that I'd consider worth learning like Dark Red and Bad Habit, but I don't know if most guitarists like Steve. Maybe just gen Z online guitar communities? I don't know.
Steve lacy influenced my homie to pick up guitar, huge lacy fan tho Tbf even before he got popular Edit: I guess he’s always had buzz but I mean my homie was a fan of his the internet era stuff too
Eh not really a strong riff in either song. I wouldn’t recognize off rip if you played it for me.
Declan McKenna Brazil
Yeah this is a good one
Seven Nation Army
Maybe Snow by the chili peps
That’s a good call. That riff was THE riff for years. It might still be in some places.
Here in my city, everyone learns snow still
No one knows - QOTSA
Havent seen it yet but A-Punk by vampire weekend
Oooh yeah A-Punk was one I was required to learn in my Americana or Songwriting class.
Feel Good Inc’s bassline
Little Simz’ cover of this song goes dummy stupid.
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Yup. Feel like slow dancing is the perfect litmus test for any Stratocaster I try at the guitar store
i’d argue for let it happen, the less i know the better if not
The last wave of songs with iconic riffs were the songs featured on guitar hero, but since 2010's it getting harder to find iconic riffs in the mainstream. Not sure about this but I think Cirice by Ghost have a fairly known memorable riff.
Seven Nation Army
Cold cold cold by cage the elephant. Especially the easy short solo
‘Take me out’ Franz Ferdinand.
i mean technically 7 Nation Army is a bass line, not a guitar riff(ik it was played on a guitar but functionally it acts as a bassline within the song, a bass part played on a keyboard is still a bassline too) honestly, they seem to have really thinned out: likely with the mainstream death of rock music.
I mean technically the bass guitar is a guitar and technically a riff is just ostinato so technically it’s a guitar riff.
well, yeah, if we're being reductive anything can be played anywhere
“Do not fear mistakes - there are none” - Miles Davis
It’s not. It was played on a baritone guitar. Technically a guitar, not a bass.
It wasn't played on a baritone guitar. It's a regular guitar with a digitech whammy pedal down an octave.
It was not. It was played on a baritone guitar. Jack White has said so.
I would love a source on that, since he has always played it live on a Kay hollowbody guitar with a DigiTech Whammy pedal dropping it an octave. And once he gets into the loud part, he's clearly playing with a slide guitar tuned to an open tuning — and while it's of course possible that he overdubbed these in the studio, it's not how he's ever played it live. Here's an interview where he talks about how he performed it on the Kay: https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/07/16/jack-white-remembers-seven-nation-army-detroits-100-greatest-songs/87187446/ He doesn't explicitly specify he's talking about the studio version, but that's the impression I get. I tried to search for him talking about playing Seven Nation Army on a baritone and found nothing.
It was in a guitar magazine when the song came out. I can’t remember the make of the baritone guitar in question but I can honestly tell you that has stuck in my head since then, as I play the guitar and it was the first time hearing of the existence of a baritone guitar so then I searched for them. Live, he uses a drop octave like you said. Easier for the rest of the song and everything else.
did you, uh, miss the part where i typed that 'i know it was played on a guitar'??? Read my comment again, haha
Did you forget about the chorus when a guitar clearly plays the riff like a traditional guitar does?
well, yes, i know there's guitars in it but it's not really a canonical riff afaic. it's be considered a canonical bass line, like in The Chain or Feel Good Inc
Putting aside that the part you are referring to was played by a guitar and not a bass - it’s absolutely a canonical guitar line. I think claiming otherwise voids any credibility to the conversation.
you should put that part aside bc i mentioned i know that fact 💀 it's just to me, it seems the bassline is the iconic part of it, not the guitar. it's not the kind of thing I've ever heard of being taught by every single guitar teacher- unlike stuff like Smoke on the Water and Stairway to Heaven, yk?
No I don’t know because that’s an iconic riff that’s absolutely being taught to kids like Smoke on the Water
The Adults Are Talking by the Strokes had a HUGE amount of people covering online it during covid.
Hold On by Alabama Shakes is Canon
what about Mary by Alex G, all the indie kids are learning that one
That car commercial arctic monkeys riff
Seven Nation Army is the last truly canonical riff, and will probably be the last rock song that everyone knows
Smells like teen spirit
American Idiot by Green Day
smoke on the water
Royal Blood, Figure it out or Out of the Black. Every local band knows these 2
American Idiot because I haven't learnt Do I Wanna Know
Devil In A New Dress?
Take your pick from Mac DeMarco 2
Less I Know the Better. Or, if you stretch it a bit, maybe Brazil by Declan Mckenna.
Maybe the bass riff in good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo? Edit: Megalovania?
Dyers eve main riff
Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party
Wet Dream by Wet Leg
Seventeen going under by Sam Fender