What is the best key to write a guitar riff in?

Question

I am curious if anyone can tell me what the best key to write awesome guitar riff is?

Answer 1

While there is no 'best key' per se, I will say that the two easiest keys in which to write guitar riffs are 'E' and 'A' due to the ease of use presented by the open 5th and 6th strings.

Furthermore, a lot of epic, classic riffs are based off of the pentatonic (5 note) scale--probably because of their big, open, vibrant sound and ease of use on the guitar in particular.

Answer 2

I would say the best key is G major, which includes chords G Am Bm C D Em F#dim G and has full range of the guitar, all open strings, harmonics, etc... All keys have advantages or disadvantages and G has the most advantages!!! My expert opinion!

Answer 3

There isn't a single answer to this question. The most iconic riffs in guitar history have been written in many keys, including F#, E, A, D, G, and others.

That said, there are some things that most popular rock riffs have in common. Most of the most famous riffs for guitar use the pentatonic minor scale (in various keys). Another feature of many iconic riffs is the use of open strings. The E, A, and D strings are the most common ones used in riffs that use open strings.

To write a powerful rock riff, learn your scales, particularly the pentatonic minor scale. Learn to play riffs from songs that you love that you want to emulate. Try changing your favorite riffs slightly to see how changing them makes them better or worse. Start working with your knowledge of the scale and other riffs to come up with ideas.

Of course your first ideas are likely to be not as good as you'd like. Just like learning to play, learning to write takes practice. Keep coming up with riffs and refining them, changing them, writing them down or recording them. Give yourself time and you'll find that you can channel your love of guitar and unlock your creativity. There's no shortcut, but with time you will definitely achieve your writing goals.