Pentatonic riff
A pentatonic riff is a short melody repeated every bar, built only from the five notes of the pentatonic scale: here A, C, D, E and G, the A minor pentatonic. Because those five notes rarely clash, the riff fits over every chord in the loop.
Also called minor pentatonic riff, five-note riff, pentatonic melody.
Play it
- Bar 1Am
- Bar 2F
- Bar 3C
- Bar 4G
Faded lanes are a guide: they are there so the pattern has something to sit against. The loop runs over four chords, Am, F, C, G, one bar each. Tap any box to change it.
Try this
Try this · change one box
Add a G on step 9. Almost any note you add from these five fits, because the scale leaves out the notes that clash.
Hear it without the grid
A short recording of the loop above at 88 BPM, made with Swung’s own sounds.
How it works
The full A minor scale has seven notes. The pentatonic drops the two (B and F) most likely to rub against the chords, so almost any order of the remaining five sounds right.
A riff repeats exactly, bar after bar, while the chords change underneath. The repetition is the point: by the second time round, the listener already knows it.
The pattern in words
- E (E5): step 7 of 16, each held for 2 steps.
- D (D5): steps 5 and 10 of 16.
- C (C5): steps 3 and 11 of 16.
- A (A4): steps 1 and 13 of 16, notes held for 1 and 2 steps.
- G (G4): step 15 of 16, each held for 2 steps.
| Part | Steps, 1 to 16 | Plays on |
|---|---|---|
| E (E5) | ······x–········ | step 7 of 16, each held for 2 steps |
| D (D5) | ····x····x······ | steps 5 and 10 of 16 |
| C (C5) | ··x·······x····· | steps 3 and 11 of 16 |
| A (A4) | x···········x–·· | steps 1 and 13 of 16, notes held for 1 and 2 steps |
| G (G4) | ··············x– | step 15 of 16, each held for 2 steps |
x a hit, o a quiet hit, 2 or 3 a quick roll inside one step, – a note held on, · nothing.
Variations
Three notes only
A, C and D: still a riff.
On a bell
The same notes on a bell, the trap way.
One note per beat
Slower: A, C, D, E.
Where it’s used
Lo-fi hip hop
70–90 bpmDusty, swung drums under soft jazzy chords
Signature: Boom bap GenreTrap
130–150 bpmA half-time snare, rolling hats and a sliding 808
Signature: Half-time snareAlso common in Rock, Blues and Pop.
Learn this pattern step by step
The course builds up to it from Unit 1, which is free. Sign up with Google and start with the first lesson; it plays in your browser, like this page.
Pick up where you left off
Carry on with Unit 1, then Pentatonic riff comes in Unit 5: Melody.