For the last two months I have been discussing teaching beginning students “simplified rock riffs” as a way to begin their journey playing actual music. Each riff that you teach students should offer a new challenge to overcome, yet be mastered with a sufficient level of effort.
Previously I spoke regarding the merit of riffs like “Smoke on the Water” and “Sunshine of Your Love” as learning tools. These are personal favorites and riffs I feel offer the student a sufficient challenge for their skill level and can act as jumping off points for new topics.
This month I wanted to tackle a simplified version of “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin - a great riff for introducing concepts such as playing on multiple strings or string muting with the palm. Furthermore, it is a riff that can be played using only one finger of the left hand!
Start stockpiling your own list of riffs for students, but always be thinking about what can be taught through the riff. Learning a new riff can be fun for students, but helping them progress while having fun is always better.
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