10 Classic Guitar Riffs That Will Make You a Better Player 

0:57 - 10 Years Gone (Led Zeppelin) - Novo Serus (Tele bridge, P90 neck) - second half (descending thirds) is kind of a 'hand twister'. I like to play both guitar parts from 'Take Me Out' (Franz Ferdinand) at the same time for the same reason. 3:07 - Message in a Bottle (The Police) - Novo Serus (Tele bridge, P90 neck) - great for stretching the left hand fingers (dexterity) 4:33 - Cissy Strut (The Meters) - Novo Serus (dual P90) - a 'must' for funk players, timing (laid-back 'in the pocket') is essential for the riff 6:20 - Money (Pink Floyd) - Strat - odd meter (7/4) + the arpeggiated chords (doubled bass line) have some bounce & swing 8:19 - Just Got Paid (ZZ Top) - Les Paul - alternate picking and string skipping, can be done in the open position or 5th position (or open E) 9:58 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2) - Strat - using effects as part of the sound (dotted 8th delay), has some voice leading too 12:49 - Money for Nothing (Dire Straits) - Les Paul - fingerstyle technique incl. walking bassline using the thumb, timing & feel are crucial 14:40 - Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine) - Strat - percussive picking in between the notes to give a funky feel, pocket playing (just behind the beat) with thoe 16:23 - Barracuda (Heart) - Strat - upbeat, galloping shuffle riff while palm muting 18:02 - Third Stone from the Sun (original by Jimi Hendrix, Gary Clark Jr. version) - Strat - playing a melody up the neck where the notes have a different timbre, major third interval made huge thanks to the fuzz Damn those Novo Serus make me want something with P90's again... Very nice list, Rhett. I love the focus on different techniques and subtleties we should spend more time being aware of. This really fits in my current journey of abandoning high-gain riffing and going back to the guitar as the nuanced, multi-layered and exceedingly versatile instrument that it is.

Two riffs that really helped me were the original Layla riff, and Life in the Fast lane. Great riffs and great feeling when you get them close.

Glad to see Ten Years Gone get some love. The riffs in that song are just great

That cherry sunburst Les Paul is gorgeous. Money for Nothing is classic, but not my favorite Dire Straits song. You can do an entire "riff lesson" using Sultans of Swing alone. I think that song is a compendium of every riff technique ever played.

Message in the bottle for smaller hands: for the first three phrases of the four "finger stretchers" you can just play the 5th, 4th and 2nd string! I still struggle the the 4 note 4th phrase though.

Run Like Hell - great use of dotted 8ths and triads.

4:58 "And if you're not hip to The Meters at all, I think you should be". Just checked them out and they're really good.

I'm loving this video so much, but, as a fan of U2, I think you missed one important selling feature of that riff (or any Edge riff): Timing!!!!! When you set that dotted 8th delay, you are locked in. As soon as you start speeding up or slowing down, the delay breaks. The whole riff sounds wrong. And, when I'm talking to people about learning guitar, I recommend learning U2 riffs because they are basically enjoyable metronome practice. Timing is so essential to playing any instrument - arguably even more than technique or theory.

As a worship guitarist…. Yes. You have to be very skilled in the use of effects of all kinds. I use delay of all sorts in every set, always reverbs blended together at different levels, POG, chorus at different levels, ya know ha everything. And the dynamics. I love it.

No debate in my mind dire straits takes the top spot forever. Hands down.

The Jimi/Clark riff is the BOMB!! First riff I picked up just watching you play it, no tab or nothin'!!! Thanks for being an awesome human being and helping me be a better guitar player!!!

'Electric Funeral' is actually a great song to learn for beginners. Its parts are easily distinguishable from each other and they're all almost doable from the get go with a bit of practice. The opening riffs of 'New Orleans Is Sinking' by The Tragically Hip, as well as the opening riff to early Fleetwood Macs 'Oh Well' taught me a ton.

Little wing is what helped me really start putting it together

John Mayer trio's Good Love Is On The Way. Super fun to learn, and it really challenged me to start playing guitar as a rhythm and lead instrument at the same time.

"It's Up To You" by The Moody Blues. Bending one line over top of a drone on the adjacent string, ending with some cool arpeggios. Nice list!

Bit of a list, but these songs helped me with my growth on guitar. Crossroads-Cream/John Mayer/Robert Johnson Houses of The Holy and Oceans- Led Zeppelin Rhiannon- Fleetwood Mac Street Spirit-Radiohead Just Like Heaven-The Cure Fast and Loose- Motorhead Fire- Jimi Hendrix Vertigo-U2 I Wanna Be Your Lover- Prince Misery- Maroon 5 Blackbird- The Beatles

I am so glad he said Money for Nothing is the most difficult. It looks so easy to play and I have tried a few times and gotten close, but that song is not easy.

I’d actually say learn almost ANY Tommy Emmanuel song on the acoustic guitar and translate those techniques over to playing on an electric, and holy moly will you have a different sound than most folks.

A guitar playing friend recommended learning Chuck Berry tunes.

Seriously I've spent 2 days just playing Zepplin and The Meters cause they sound killer and are fun to play. I hope these turn into a series of videos!

A riff that really helped me was the Spirit of Radio, by Rush. The main lick (repeated in the chorus) is a real finger killer. Also, 10 Years Gone is another one that really helped me.

Riff one fires off. Me: Yup, this is why I keep tuning in to Rhett. +1 for the shirt

When I saw the video title and started the video, my first thought was “I hope he does Ten Years Gone.” I smiled when I discovered it was your first riff. Thanks for the video.

Ten Years Gone is AMAZING There sounds like 4 guitars in parts

You had me at "10 Years Gone".😎🤘

Limelight would be a good riff to practice I think. The pauses.

For me the formative song riffs came from Funk 49. Timing and bends and confidence Thanks Rhett. This was a ton of fun

One of the best lists I have seen. Mine would be different. But this isn't my list. Great job.

This is an awesome list - there is soooo much depth! It's refreshing to see a "riffs" video that isn't the same 20 riffs we see at the top of every "best guitar songs" list. Thanks Rhett!!!

Loving all the reactivity of the fuzz on the last riff (including the increased noise floor during the dialogue)! Sonic alchemy at it finest!

Rhett… the proof of how AMAZING your tone is came in when you palm muted the U2 riff. The crispy yet super-round and clear sound that came from that made my jaw drop.

When you started with Ten Years Gone, I knew this list was going to be something special. Then Cissy Strut, most excellent. I liked how each song addressed a different skill. I might add Jessica or Mary Had a Little Lamb. Thanks from Colorado.

THE METERS! Thanks, man. How did these guys sneak past me all this time?

thank you for mentioning the meters. defintely the most underrated band ever

Mark Knopfler rules.....such a unique, sweet, melodic, somewhat unorthodox guitar player!!

A riff I love is the opening part to A Forest by the Cure. Super sparse, but a great lesson in playing in time with a band. I think it's a great intro to moving around the neck on one string mostly while playing another open the entire time as a pedal point within the context of a solo.

THANK YOU RHETT for showcasing 10 Years Gone.. .it's indeed one of Jimmy's proudest moments and his personal favorite. Mine too! And yet... most casual Zep listeners have never even heard this masterpiece before. Great list Rhett!

Great topic, how about extending it to 10 classic guitar riffs by decade? You could start in the 1950s and each video would be a different decade. Also a 10 classic guitar riffs in alternate tunings would be cool as well.

this is killer, thanks Rhett. Got some homework this weekend.

For me, Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam was a breakthrough song when I was a teenager. It really stretched me and took a long time to learn. It's now part of my guitar shop setlist. 🙉

Walk This Way. Not the obvious part, but the funky comp under the vocals in the verse.

so funny--I was literally working on the hendrix rhythm fills on little wing and all along the watchtower--learned all the solos to those and 4 or 5 other must-know Jimi tunes and there are tricky things to be learned from everything he recorded, of course--but his delicate R&B-infused rhythm fills set against the explosive power of his lead breaks for example, really are a huge part of what made jimi such a master of the instrument regardless of genre. Not to mention his insane songwriting. duh. Great list Rhett...It seems like the best way to learn any technique is to learn it cuz you need to learn it to play the tune it lives in.

I was surprised with some of your choices. Some of these songs don't get the credit they're due. I agree that this is a great list. There is a lot of subtle stuff in many of these songs that slips by most people. I should use this list as my workout for the next year and go through them all, top to bottom, even the ones I've played and really dissect them. Thanks for this!

I always get blown away by how close you get to the original guitar tone of each song. Amazing dude

That Novo guitar sounds fantastic!

That tone is insane!!!!! That looks like a hell of a guitar!

All great songs to learn. The more I learn to play Jimmy Paiges songs. The more I appreciate him as a song writer. The best

The problem with Money for Nothing for us mere mortals is that it is without a doubt the most dynamic riff going. It seems so easy. You nail bits of it early on. But then there is the absolute horror when you’re learning it properly that there are muted notes everywhere in it. That your thumb and fingers have to reading each other on your picking hand rapidly. That your left hand barely stops exploring the fret board. I tried learning the outro solo from the Dire Straits song On Every Street. Again seemed so easy but it nearly broke my guitar teacher watching me trying to get it. We agreed to just park learning Knopfler riffs after that!

Yeah, Barracuda really gets your hands moving and focused. Totally agree. Jumping back and forth between the signature rhythm and then the lead lines up the fretboard is really cool too!

Riff Raff by AC/DC. This is a breakthru riff for me and one I practice every week or so. The timing is everything

Loved that list. Do another one called honorable mention licks…I’m off to learn some of these. Thanks for the lessons.

The tone on Third Stone was phenomenal.

Heart is an underrated band. Nancy and Roger's guitar parts are absolutely mind bending and Ann's voice is one of rock's most powerful ever. Even the 80's ballad era Heart without the original cast is a lot of fun. Great live albums too.

Most underrated Hendrix/Gary Clark Jr song ever, the droning E is heavenly

A few classic riffs that have improved my playing(and are just some of the best riffs ever): Same of Song and Dance - Aerosmith Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy All Right Now - Free China Grove - Doobie Brothers

Yep Rhettman , You nailed it!! 'Ten Years Gone' & 'Message in a Bottle' are perfect examples of great songs as (left hand) exercises . When I learned those riffs (in my twenties), it started to feel like I had crossed over from beginner / novice player to a little more advanced of a musician. Great advice!! I wish I had some of the suggestions , that You are putting out there , when I got more serious about playing etc. Then to include the right hand : ZZ Top ('Just got Paid' in D Standard tuning) and the U2 track --The Edge & like Johnny Marr are finally getting properly noticed , as players to learn from. You & Rick Beato are really a great service to the musical community!! The young people of today , may not know how lucky they are ; and that's o.k. , 'cause I didn't know either (for example , not everyone has a Berklee School of Music graduate , as their neighbor growing up --like I did). Antlers dude..... Good on Ya mate & keep doing what You're doing...

A few riffs when I first started and got them down that made me feel good were For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica, Anarchy in the UK, Doctor Doctor by UFO, Black Magic Woman Santana, Cocaine by Clapton. Agree with Money by Floyd and Money for Nothing by Dire Straights.

Your Tone is ridiculous. So amazing

For me, ‘Is It For Me?’ by Toad the Wet Sprocket is an important practice song for me that lets me practice skipping strings and muting at the same time. The song ‘Inside’ also by TTWS is a song I use to practice singing and playing lead guitar at the same time. Cheers Rhett!

I can literally hear Rick Beato helpfully adding the “I want my MTV” vocals while trying not to laugh.

Love the finger twisters, Rhett! Thanks man!

I never really learned how to play lead because at the time I learned guitar we really just needed a rhythm guitar. Now I'm trying to learn lead and hopefully this video will help with that

Very much enjoy the song selections that were made for this video

Mississippi Queen by mountain including the intro solo, helped me with my expression in my playing.

Don’t Fear the Reaper was the riff that taught me how to get your right hand picking and left hand transitions to be in sync in order to have the riff sound clean when you play it. As well as get open strings to ring as you played different notes and you hand changed positions.

Call Of Ktulu intro is a great one for learning just how vital it is to planning exact finger placement for setting up the next few notes, considering it has to ring out. Also, in teaching beginners how to arch your fingers so you don't mute the neighboring strings

OMG! I love that you started with 10 years gone! I haven't seen the rest of this video yet!

Great Crosspicking, What a workout, it's remarkable to watch one player jump around like your doing. Honestly, what you do with your right hand is off the scale .Good luck to all.

This inspired me to learn Cissy Strut. My Funk-o-meter went off the charts!

Great to hear Ten Years Gone leading the list! I play by ear and have always done 3rd Stone From The Sun as octaves - the first song I ever learned to use them on back as a kid in the '70s. I don't know what's technically/officially correct, but another good one of Jimi's for that is Villanova Junction Blues - it gets you switching octave positions quickly across the fretboard.

For me the biggest ‘a-ha’ was not a ‘riff’ but a chord change: My Sweet Lord, and specifically, playing it without a capo, using the same voicing for all the chords to visualize the key change, and exploring the role of a diminished chord, and as a corollary, relationship of a diminished chord to a series of dominant chords (i.e. take any ‘root’ note of the diminished chord, flat it, and you have a dominant chord). Also, I enjoyed the YT advertising for this video: “stop using scales for your solos” and monster trucks.

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 by Coheed and Cambria. One of the first songs I learned, and I always come back to it. It’s lengthy, ethereal, and just rocks.

This is my favorite video of yours in a long long time.

Great choice on The Police. I was in high school when the Police broke on the scene; but it took me until just a few years ago to realize what a fantastic guitarist Andy Summers is. His playing is super-tasty; and always plays "to the song" which, the longer I play, I realize is much more difficult than a million-notes-per-minute double-tap solo! Oh, and Andy must love those add-9 chord extensions, because he does the same thing in Every Breath You Take! And funk stuff is really fun because (I'm guessing it's easier for horns/horn players) they are often enough in flat key signatures, so it really helps guitarists think and feel their way around the flat side of the Circle.

I had pretty much forgotten about Ten Years Gone. I'm gonna go learn it now.

Refreshing combining Rhetts unique «guitar-friend» way of contentcreation, with my all time favourite player Knopfler.

Acdc back in black took me years to master...so simple but nuanced

Awesome list and playing. Need some Johnny Marr. This charming man or What difference does it make would be great additions. Learning those two riffs really expanded my playing. String-skipping master-class.

Congratulations to this lesson, I enjoyed every second of it!

Similar to Message In A Bottle, Satellite by Dave Matthews Band has a good finger exercise type riff that is beautiful when you wrap your fingers around it.

nice DDU picking idea on Message in a bottle. I always do that alternate and get tied up.

Great list! Love it. No matter how many years you play, there's always something more to learn. Thanks.

The bridge riff of back in black is also very good for warming up

Love the final cut shirt. Everybody hates on it but honestly one of my favorite Floyd records.

When i discovered the cocked wah and fuzz thing of Money For Nothing combined with the fingerstyle technique it made me want to play it forever. Beside the fact i was a kid when the song came out and it was probably the first to make me think how cool it is be to play a guitar .

Lenny Kravitz and Slash - Always on the Run.

Another great riff for learning string skipping is UFO's Rock Bottom. Drives me crazy sometimes but it feels so cool when you get it right

recently learned that Just Got Paid riff feel pretty good that you put it on your list.

For me, the songs that have made me a better guitarist and are fun to play are Brown Sugar - the Rolling Stones little wing - jimi hendrix Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix under the bridge - RHCP funk N49 - James gang

The Hendrix thing (haven't heard that other version) really begs for backing by a rhythm section, especially that moving/grooving bass line. What you missed: "Crazy On You" especially that acoustic intro. Fleetwood Mac "Oh Well," it's pretty fast and at the end goes up the neck. I even remember surf: "Walk Don't Run"

Youre a wise player YOU GET IT. Only an intelligent man gets the Edge and what he brings to the table and its not about what youre doing physically. The Edge is the ultimate soul man its alllll feel no ego.

Great video!! Had me running for my guitar to learn 10 Years Gone. Reminder of how creative Page was.

Ten years gone, didn’t see that coming but been playing it for ten years gone

Great video as always, Rhett! Another good song to practice the right hand "galloping" strum is Lights Out by UFO. I used to play along with the live version every day after school (back in the day) and that will get your right hand speed up in no time. I have always practiced by trying to learn songs that I assumed were difficult and are melodically complex (Julia by the Beatles, the intro to Dear Prudence, Damn Good by DLR (Steve Vai), Different Strings by Rush, Shape of My Heart by Sting to name a few). Would love to see you cover more Dropped D and finger picking stuff.

UFO Rock Bottom is a good one for learning groove, 1/4 note bends, palm muted staccato pedal tones against more breathable notes with a vocal quality, hammer ons, pull offs, passing blues notes...

One I use to warm up the fingers, in confined space, is Roy Buchanan's "Cajun". Warms up the fingering and picking hands, and there are even a few squeals to coordinate both. To start moving around a bit more, "Yackety Axe" by Chet Atkins (or "Sax" is how I heard it first), again stretching the right hand, and limbering the left. For double-stops, I use Floyd Kramer's "Last Date", another Country tune, but I'm not so much a C&W player. Another is "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck (Paul Desmond's sax is what I try to emulate). Both "Yackety Axe" and "Take Five" were used as commercial intros and outtros on Chicago Saturday afternoon movies, and I just started playing along...between those 4, a lot of the neck is traversed, as well as picking techniques.

Hey thank you, always inspiring, great playing. Love your diverse taste in music! That is how I grew up many different genres all around me!

Jimmy playing 10 years gone live with the B bender is awesome

Dire Straits for sure, but a different song. The solos of Sultans of Swing took me to a different level and literally opened up the fretboard for me. Made me a little less “guitar George” and a little more “harry… saving it up for Friday night.” Really enjoy the content on this channel.

Samba pa ti By Carlos Santana, is something that I played a lot and I just love the feel of it. Still got the blues By Gary Moore, is another one that comes to mind. I kinda wish I knew of some of these riffs while having lessons and they would have made me a better player for sure. I still struggle with staying in time, because I just lose myself when I am really into the song.