Every rock guitar player looks for the perfect little musical phrase that should provide the rhythm and personality of the song. There are riffs that, once you've heard the song, never leave your memory. There are very simple riffs, of only two notes and there are also complex, deliberated riffs. Some guitarists are remembered for only one riff, others were true riff factories. I listed only those that got sticked to my mind. The selection is personal so you can suggest your own choice at Contact.
| Guitarist(s) | Group | Song |
| Jan Akkerman | Focus | Hocus Pocus |
| Chad Allan | The Guess Who | American Woman |
{C} | ||
| Duane Allman, Dickey Betts | The Allman Brothers Band | Whipping Post You Don't Love Me |
| Berton Averre, Doug Feiger | The Knack | My Sharonna |
| Martin Barre | Jethro Tull | A New Day Yesterday Aqualung |
| Ritchie Blackmore | Deep Purple | Burn Knocking At Your Backdoor Lazy Perfect Strangers Smoke On the Water Space Trucking |
| Erik Braunn | Iron Butterfly | In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida |
| Eric Clapton | Cream | Crossroads Layla Sunshine Of Your Love |
| Kurt Cobain | Nirvana | Come As You Are Smells Like Teen Spirit |
| Eddie Cochran | Eddie Cochran | Summertime Blues |
| Dimebag Darrell | Pantera | Five Minutes Alone Walk |
| Dave Davies | The Kinks | You Really Got Me |
| K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Breaking The Law |
| Don Felder , Joe Walsh | The Eagles | Life In The Fast Lane |
| John Fogerty | Creedence Clearwater Revival | Fortunate Son Proud Mary Up Around The Bend |
| Robert Fripp | King Crimson | 21st Century Schizoid Man |
| Rory Gallagher | Rory Gallagher | Walk On Hot Coals |
| Billy Gibbons | ZZ Top | La Grange Sharp Dressed Man |
| David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | In the Flesh Money |
| Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson | Thin Lizzy | The Boys Are Back In Town |
| Eddie van Halen | Van Halen, Michael Jackson | Ain't Talking Bout Love Beat It Panama Running With The Devil |
{C} | ||
| Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield | Metallica | Enter Sandman Master Of Puppets Sad But True Seek And Destroy |
| Jeff Hanneman | Slayer | Raining Blood South Of Heaven |
| George Harrison | The Beatles | And I Love Her Come Together Day Tripper Drive My Car In My Life Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds Michelle Paperback Writer Something |
| Jimi Hendrix | Jimi Hendrix | Fire Foxey Lady Purple Haze Voodoo Child (Slight Return) |
| Steve Howe | Yes | Roundabout |
| Tony Iommi | Black Sabbath | Children Of The Grave Iron Man Paranoid Sweet Leaf |
| Mark Knopfler | Dire Straits | Money For Nothing Sultans Of Swing |
| Paul Kossof | Free | All Right Now |
| Robbie Krieger | The Doors | Love Me Two Times Roadhouse Blues |
{C} | ||
| Alvin Lee | Ten Years After | Good Morning Little School Girl Love Like A Man |
| Alex Lifeson | Rush | Working Man YYZ |
| Yngwie Malmsteen | Yngwie Malmsteen | Deja Vu Queen In Love |
| Brian May | Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody Death On Two Legs Dragon Attack Hammer To Fall |
| Mike McCready | Pearl Jam | Animal |
| Tom Morello | Rage Against The Machine | Bulls On Parade Wake Up |
| Dave Mustaine | Megadeth | Hanger 18 Symphony Of Destruction |
| Ted Nugent | Ted Nugent | Cat Scratch Fever Stranglehold |
| Roy Orbison | Roy Orbison | Oh Pretty Woman |
| Jimmy Page | Led Zeppelin | Black Dog Communication Breakdown Dazed and Confused Heartbreaker Kashmir Rock And Roll The Ocean Whole Lotta Love |
| Joe Perry | Aerosmith | Walk This Way |
| John Petrucci | Dream Theater | Home |
| Trevor Rabin | Yes | Owner Of a Lonely Heart |
| Vernon Reid | Living Color | Cult Of Personality |
| Randy Rhoads | Ozzy | Crazy Train |
| Keith Richards | Brown Sugar Jumping Jack Flash Satisfaction | |
| Mick Ronson | Mick Ronson | Ziggy Stardust |
| Carlos Santana | Santana | Black Magic Woman Evil Ways |
| Joe Satriani | Joe Satriani | Satch Boogie The Extremist |
| Slash | Guns'n'Roses | Paradise City Sweet Child O' Mine |
| Frankie Sullivan | Survivor | Eye Of the Tiger |
| Kim Thayil | Soundgarden | Outshined Rusty Cage Spoonman |
| Pete Townshend | The Who | I Can't Explain My Generation Substitute |
| Steve Vai | Steve Vai | Erotic Nightmares The Animal The Audience Is Listening |
| Adrian Vandenberg | Whitesnake | Bad Boys In the Still Of the Night |
| Stevie Ray Vaughan | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Couldn't Stand The Weather Scuttle Buttin |
| Angus Young, Malcolm Young | AC/DC | Hell's Bells Highway To Hell Thunderstruck You Shook Me |
| Neil Young | Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Cinnamon Girl Rockin' In The Free World |
| Frank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Andy Apostrophe(') What's New In Baltimore Zoot Allures |
