See how these iconic guitar riffs by Heart, AC/DC, and Blue Öyster Cult defined some of the biggest rock songs from 1977.

There are a number of factors that might make a song immediately recognizable—a whisper, a cough, a G note… But nothing gets our little black hearts racing quite as rapidly as a guitar riff we know ...

It’s no secret that the guitar is the backbone of pretty much every song. Whether it’s a railing, electric solo that makes listeners want to break out their best air guitar, a stripped-down acoustic ...

Rock music continued its evolution in 1985, but what didn't change were the iconic riffs and iconic guitar solos.

When it comes to guitar in modern music, Dweezil Zappa says the guitar riff has lost its place as the hook of the song, or ...

A new poll for the oft-debated topic of Greatest Guitar Riffs has some stupefying results. The U.K. study done in March 2022 by music content and software provider Muse (also owner of Ultimate Guitar) ...

If the flannelly, lo-fi nature of ’90s grunge killed the hairspray bravado of ’80s hair metal, then the 2000s definitely brought back some of its technicality and musicianship. The first decade of ...

Black Sabbath icon Tony Iommi keeps a stockpile of guitar riffs on hand. It's something the guitarist reaffirmed in a recent radio interview with Planet Rock when he mentioned he now has "four or five ...

A catchy riff — whether it be on guitar, bass, synthesizer or some other instrument — can take a song from good to legendary. Just ask some of the artists we've listed below. These are riffs that in ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Quentin Singer is music journalist who covers rock and heavy music. Guitar music is a ubiquitous feature of popular music, ...