What's the difference between a riff, melody, and hook?

GovernorSilver · 2022-10-03T20:26:09.703Z

Another example to analyze:

Melody = Ron Isley’s lead vocal
Riff = The clavinet part the meshes with the guitar
Hook = The guitar part

A hook can be part melody, part riff, per Berklee article.

The hook is what lets you know that you’re hearing this particular song (or Ice Cube’s “Damn It Was a Good Day” that sampled this song). When people hear that guitar part, they tend to think “Damn It Was a Good Day” unless they heard the Isley Brothers song first.

matteblacksmoke · 2022-10-03T20:33:03.964Z

Riff is half Melody’s age plus 7.
Melody is 3 years younger than Hook.
Hook is the same age as Riff’s father.

Lampmeister · 2022-10-03T20:34:44.554Z

Riff = Smoke on the Water / Satisfaction.
Melody = ABBA / Beatles.
Hook = The catchiest bits of melody / riff that get caught / hooked in your head.

NeoZeed · 2022-10-03T20:37:06.899Z

A Riff is a musical motif or repeated line played with a single instrument. I see it as slang used by instrumentalists to describe the hooks or melodies they write on their instrument.

A Riff doesn’t have to contain much of a melody or anything melodic at all: think something like Meshuggah’s “Bleed”.

djadonis206 · 2022-10-03T20:39:13.879Z

Could it be considered a lead?

I’m into this thread btw

williohm · 2022-10-03T20:46:46.454Z

What is the purpose of these questions? Are you trying to incorporate pop music architecture into techno music to make it more palatable and familiar for non-electronic music audiences?

bibenu · 2022-10-03T20:46:52.750Z

Here’s a riff and here it is as part of the song

A riff is any distinctive and quickly repeated part. Though soloists will sometimes talk about riffing n a theme … that is, soloing. That’s not the general usage though.

HoldMyBeer · 2022-10-03T20:52:20.332Z

First they hook you, then they riff you, then they melody you to pieces.

brisket · 2022-10-03T20:52:22.731Z

Riff - a short, repeating instrumental part, usually with some ‘hookiness’ to it (we can distinguish between a catchy riff and a dull one). It might appear as an intro, or it might be the harmonic backbone of the song - functioning as the chord progression. I don’t think there’s a clear distinction between a fast, snappy chord progression and a riff.

Melody- the monophonic lines delivered by vocal or sax, guitar etc., esp those that are more prominent in the mix and sitting one vocal frequency range.

Hook - the catchiest repeated moment of a song. Usually part of the vocal, usually the chorus. Sometimes a riff is a hook.

GovernorSilver · 2022-10-03T20:53:52.508Z

Another fun analysis

Melody = the vocals
Riff = the repeating guitar part
Hook = The sampled synth from the start of George Duke’s “I Love You More”

I would consider the Wurly tracks to be a hook as well. The guitar riff repeats so much that it too may be considered a hook.

djadonis206 · 2022-10-03T20:54:40.060Z

Just to have a discussion. Maybe learn something I (we) didn’t know before

HoldMyBeer · 2022-10-03T21:10:45.312Z

djadonis206:

Just to have a discussion. Maybe learn something I (we) didn’t know before

Lies. Everyone knows that the dark trinity of riffs/melodies/hooks are a gateway to global domination. Just another dictator in the making.

And the rest of you are enablers. Shame on you.

williohm · 2022-10-03T21:14:16.138Z

I do find it exciting when artists push the boundaries of established song structures. The Mars Volta do this well.

Microtribe · 2022-10-03T22:33:11.602Z

djadonis206:

Can someone help me understand the difference between a riff, melody and hook in electronic music (techno/house)? Or just music in general?

Semantics

williohm · 2022-10-04T08:18:04.370Z

Coincidentally, another fringe Latinx artist who similarly to TMV has recently released a pop album is Jasss. It’s fascinating when normally untethered artists decide to work within the limitations and conventions of pop music, but as a genuine experiment and not to “sell out” or any other old cliché.

Octagonist · 2022-10-04T10:00:06.858Z

djadonis206:

like, missing a hook (or some recognizable thing)

It’s worth exploring the idea that you can make hooks out of anything. The “boom boom tcsh” of “We Will Rock You” is a hook (perhaps the best hook ever), despite its lack of melodic content.

Analogic · 2022-10-04T19:31:32.011Z

I recall being told once that riff is slang for repeated figure.

captain8 · 2022-10-04T19:38:30.464Z

riff for introducing unfamiliar elements, hooks for familiar elements, and melody for setting the tone of a track or foundation if you will… all interchangeable I guess depending on the purpose

aliberty · 2022-10-04T22:22:17.695Z

maymind_trax · 2022-10-04T22:26:12.573Z

I personally like to think of a ‘hook’ as ANY sound you want to hear again, no matter whether its melodic or not. In my case, the snare drum sounds in many Spoon songs count as hooks to me, because I just want to hear them over and over.

A riff is a subset of a melody, which can be defined pretty loosely, IMO. But a hook is a more personal matter.