E minor pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 1. Notes from the Maps riff are highlighted in green.

Maps uses notes from the E minor pentatonic scale and really highlights the notes of an E minor chord (E-G-B). You can use the E minor pentatonic scale to play complementary riffs. You can also try to create a similar riff by hitting any note in the E minor pentatonic scale and repeating it four times before moving to the next.

RR #2: WHITE STRIPES – COLD, COLD NIGHT

D minor pentatonic scale. Notes from the Cold, Cold Night riff are highlighted in green.

With this riff we’re really just sliding up the D minor pentatonic scale in octaves. The sliding octaves are what make this riff! By playing the scale in a different order (like in reverse!) you can create a riff that sounds the same but it totally yours?

RR #3: PALE WAVES – THERE’S A HONEY

D major pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 2. Notes from the There’s a Honey riff are highlighted in green.

There’s a Honey uses the D Major pentatonic, using the pentatonic shape 2. The notes in this melody are the same as the riff, just in a different order (A-E-F#-D). It’s cool how you can use the same 4 pitches for the main melody and the guitar riff, but yet they sound totally different. Taking pitches from the melody and repurposing them can be a good way to craft a complementary riff.

C# minor pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 4. Notes from the Jolene riff are highlighted in green and red.

This riff is played with capo on the 4th fret! The chord shape we’re playing is an A minor chord, but because of the capo it sound a C# minor chord with some extra notes from the pentatonic. The D# (in red) is what I call the Jolene note! This is because the D# creates a lot of tension because it’s not a part of the C# minor chord chord or pentatonic scale. The D# doesn’t sound too pretty when you play it by itself over the Jolene track. You know who else brings a lot of tension and ruins the harmony? Jolene!

B minor pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 5 . Notes from Dead of Night are highlighted in green.

Dead of Night is a simple box shape! Because there’s so much space, you can fill it in by hitting other notes in the box before landing on the target pitch. So just before hitting the E in bar 2, trying hitting the D, A, or B before it. You know, just dabble!

G major scale. Notes from the Hand Grenade riff are highlighted in green.

Hand Grenade uses the first five notes of the G Major scale. Notice how this riff always goes back to the G (the root note)? A great way to ground a riff is by going away from, and coming back to the root note. You can create a similar riff by alternating a G with another note from the G major scale.

Gb major pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 4. Notes from the Cruel riff are highlighted in light and dark green.

The Cruel riff is really centered on the Gb major triad (Gb-Bb-Db) The triad notes are highlighted in dark green hearts. Triads can sounds too basic when played on their own, so what truly makes this riff interesting is the rhythm that Annie Clark uses. A good rule of thumb is if the melody of the riff is complicated, keep the rhythm simple (and vice versa!).

F# minor pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 5. Notes from the Upper West Side riff are highlighted in green and red.

This riff follows the choruses in Upper West Side, and the bends in the riff mimics the “oohs” that King Princess sings. Sometimes the best riffs are the most singable, so it can be good to transcribe vocal melodies to think more like a singer.

A major pentatonic in Pentatonic Shape 3. Notes from the 1st bar of Next of Kin are highlighted in green.

E major pentatonic in Pentatonic Shape 5. Notes from the 2nd bar of Next of Kin are highlighted in green.

D major pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 5. Notes from bars 3-4 of the Next of Kin riff are highlighted in green.

The chord progression behind this riff if A-E-D-D. You could technically just play an A major pentatonic over the progression. Or, you could try to play the pentatonic to the chord just like in this Next of Kin riff! THat means playing A major pentatonic over A major chords, D major pentatonic over D major chords, and E major pentatonic over E major chords. What helps connect these three different pentatonic shapes is we repeat the same pattern over each box (on the B and e strings).

E minor pentatonic scale in Pentatonic Shape 1. Notes from the Walk this Way riff are highlighted in green and blue.

For Walk This Way we’ve got an E minor blues scale! Adding chromatics like the blues note can make a riff sound more interesting. You can also fill in the gaps between D-E and G-A (so add in the D# and G#). Just be careful to never end on a chromatic note – if you want to add in a D#, you should play D-D#-E or E-D#-D. Essentially, always follow the the chromatic note to a note in the scale.