Difference between a Riff and a Hook . . .

sunvalleylaw

sunvalleylaw

Yep.
Looking back on Pat DiNizio and the Smithereens the last couple days reminded me of something I never have really understood. What is the difference between a riff and a hook? I always say I love riffy, hooky tunes. But not sure I even know what I am saying. I looked up some discussion, but it does not seem authoritative or consistent/complete to me.
 
I have no clue, but I heard an interview Terri Gross had done with Pat; he claims not to have written with a hook in mind. He stated they just came naturally.
 
i always thought that a 'riff' could be any number of notes played in succession that would make a 'line'. but a 'hook' was more of a 'riff' that had a more melodic or hummable quality. :shrug:

edit: and, that a hook could be the basis for the song and would be revisited several times thru the song. again....:shrug:
 
example: the intro notes of 'smoke on the water' is the hook of the song. richie's solo in the song are riffs, but not the hook of the song.
 
I typically think of a riff as a repeated musical sequence whereas the “hook” is the main sticky idea of the song. It could be melodic (the “nah nah nahs” in “Hey Jude”) or centered on a progression/rhythm (the guitar riff in Iron Man ) or even a turn of phrase (“A simple twist of fate” in Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate”). Basically the hook is what grabs you about a song. It’s the thing you remember when the song is over.
 
I think a riff can be a hook.

A hook is something you remember from a song the very first time you hear it. It could be a melody, or a guitar or keyboard riff. Normally in pop music it is in the chorus, but not always. Some songs have multiple hooks.

Blackmore's intro to Smoke On The Water....and riff AND a hook.

Peter Wood's piano intro to Year Of The Cat - a riff AND a hook.

There are I don't know how many disposable pop song built around the chorus hook. Everyone knows the chorus and can sing it. And most of the same people could not tell you the verse lyrics to save their life (unless they are big fans of the artist). Perfect example - Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love A Bad Name'. Almost everyone alive in the 80s could sing you the chorus right now (which is the hook). Brilliant production decision to open the song with the chorus since the verses are pretty weak.
 
HaHa! This thread is making chuckle with all the different ideas on the subject. Perhaps it is an amalgamation of some of these ideas, and the differences are more descriptive than hard, fast definitions or rules.
 
Riff
300px-RIFF.jpg


Hook
0000766029.jpg
 
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