20 Easy Beginner Guitar Riffs – How Many Can You Play?

Best Way to Practice Beginner Guitar Riffs – 3 Tips

Practice Tip #1. Choosing acoustic or electric 

It doesn’t matter if you own an acoustic or electric guitar – you’re ready to rock these riffs.

If you have both guitar types, a great tip is to start off practicing the riff on your acoustic. Why? You’ll find it a bit trickier in general.

But you want to be able to play the riff in the shortest time possible, so why am I suggesting that?

The simple answer: you’ll develop better technique and strength quicker.

Once you have the notes, rhythm and phrasing memorised on your acoustic, plug your electric in, turn up your amp, and let rip.

Practice Tip #2. Always use good technique

I understand that learning cool riffs on your instrument can be really exciting, but it’s important to focus on your technique first.

Take your time with it and don’t rush just to learn the riff quickly. Make sure your timing is spot on, the notes are clean, and everything flows smoothly. All your hard work will pay off in the end.

Good technique examples:

• Use alternate picking (down to up picks) and avoid the amateurish habit of playing just down picks on everything.
• Keep your fretting fingers spread out across the fretboard and keep them close to the strings, aka economy of movement.
• Don’t rush! Use a metronome to help you develop the sound and feel of the riff properly.

Further reading: 19 Killer Guitar Practice Tips