Year 8 Music · Hooks, Riffs & Ostinatos

Riff Lab: play them, name them, score them

Every riff is written in number notes. 1 is Home.
Date

Learning objective

To perform riffs accurately and fluently at a steady tempo, and to recognise how a riff is built from a short repeated pattern.

National Curriculum, KS3 Music
  • play and perform confidently … with accuracy and expression; identify and use the inter-related dimensions of music, including tonality and different types of scales
Bronze Play all seven riffs with the band; write a score and a tempo for each.
Silver 70% or more on four riffs, and name two of the songs.
Gold 90% or more on a riff at 110 or Full speed, and play its chords too.

Do now 5 minutes. No help needed. Start as soon as you sit down.

1. Draw a line from each word to what it means
Hook
A short repeated instrumental pattern. Often in the bass line; often opens the song.
Riff
The classical and world-music word for a pattern that repeats obstinately.
Ostinato
The catchy bit you cannot stop humming. A tune, a rhythm or the words.
2. The Tonal Centre is C. Write the letter name under each number
Red numbers are the ordinary notes of the scale. Blue numbers are flats, a step lower.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3. Name a song you know that is built on a riff

How to play numbiano.com - Classroom tools - Hooks, Riffs & Ostinatos

  1. Choose Play the tune. Open Settings. Piece: pick the riff. Timing: With the band — it only keeps score while the band plays.
  2. Speed: start on 40 or 50. Every speed is its own tempo in beats a minute.
  3. Press Play. Count the click in, then play every note on its beat. Under the music: Last time round — 75% and your best.
  4. Write your best score and the BPM in the table. Scored 80% or more? Go up a speed and try again.
  5. Keyboard players: Connect a keyboard in Settings, headphones in the keyboard, keyboard’s own sound down with the slider.

Main task Play all seven riffs. Which songs are they?

Riff I think it is … (song and artist) Best score BPM Speed
Riff 1%
Riff 2%
Riff 3%
Riff 4%
Riff 5%
Riff 6%
Riff 7%
Speeds: 40 · 50 · 60 · 70 · 80 · 95 · 110 beats a minute, and Full speed — 125, the record’s own tempo. Your best score is the number after the word best under the music.

Further Play the chords

Choose Play the chords, With the band. Play each chord on the beat it changes. The letters inside the green chord button are the notes.

RiffBestBPM
%
%
%

Further Echo

Choose Echo, 2 bars. The band plays two bars, then you play the same two bars back. Every turn gets a percentage.

RiffBest turnWhole run
%%
%%
%%

Plenary Think about your playing

Which riff was hardest, and what made it hard? (the rhythm, the notes, the speed …)
What did you change to get a higher score?
Why do songwriters use riffs? Use the word repeated in your answer.