12 Best Ever Hard Rock Riffs

When it comes to structuring a hard rock song, it all comes down to the riff. You could have a great set of chords or a fantastic solo in the bridge, but the song really lives or dies on whether or not the riff is great. While it's a bit difficult to come up with a little musical piece that ties everything together, these bands have shown just how much power you can get out of a few notes.

From the early days of rock to the more modern stripes of hard rock music, there have always been riffs that have pummeled you with just how much sonic presence they have. Sure, some of them might be pulling from the blues tradition or sound a bit rudimentary, but the actual drive behind these licks lie all in the attitude that the guitarists put into them.

You would think that these musical bits repeated incessantly for 5 minutes would get tedious, but these are the kind of musical ideas that get under your skin and refuse to go away for years. Even if these songs bring the best out of all the players, these riffs are the reason that the guitar is the essential hard rock voice.

Deep Purple have been a band synonymous with classic guitar riffs. Ever since their inception, Ritchie Blackmore has graced the music world with some of the guitar's greatest musical moments. While "Smoke On the Water" is the classic riff from him that has driven many a Guitar Center employee insane, "Burn" is where the swagger really starts coming through.

At the time, Deep Purple were undergoing a sea change in their sound, with the incomparable songwriting team of Roger Glover and Ian Gillan being replaced by Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale. Replacing a lineup of that caliber would be impossible enough, but the title track to this song showed Blackmore was far from finished with his six-string wonders.

With Coverdale in tow, the whole tone of the band went in a more bluesy direction, with this riff being an unofficial introduction for the band's new sound. The core of the tune is centered around the off-rhythm hammer-ons, which gracefully fly off the cuff while Hughes' trademark backing vocals bring the song even more over the top.

There may be a special place in the rock and roll heavens for "Smoke On the Water," but "Burn" was the make-or-break moment for Purple that proved this band still had giants among their lineup.