Skip to content
    Music A-Level

    Riff

    What Riff means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.

    Definitions of Riff

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Riff in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    A short, repeated musical phrase, often played by a lead instrument or the rhythm section, forming a key identifying feature of a piece.
    AQA · Area of study 6: Contemporary traditional music - Musical elements
    A short, memorable, and repeated melodic or rhythmic phrase that forms a fundamental building block in jazz.
    AQA · Area of study 5: Jazz - Musical elements

    Topics that use Riff

    Related terms

    Using Riff in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise Music questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All Music A-Level terms