For this guitar lesson I have decided to take the outro from Mastodon’s Circle Of Cysquatch from the album Blood Mountain. The reason I chose this particular passage of music because I thought that it was an interesting way to spice up a riff, what Mastodon have done is taken a riff and created 3 variations by changing the time signature each time it is played. The first time this riff is played it is actually a bar of 4/4 (A) and a bar of 5/4 (D) followed by a bar of 4/4 (A) and a bar of 3/4 (B) and finally a bar of 4/4 (A) followed by a bar of 4/4 (C). In the video above I have started with the 3/4 or B variation for simplicity’s sake as it is easier to see how the riff is extended.

Here is the tab for the riff and I have indicated the sections that I speak of in the video. The format I have used is A-B-A-C-A-D this then repeats. I have tabbed the riff using single notes for the B,C and D sections but once you are comfortable with the timing play these notes as power chords instead.

 

Try making your own riff and then creating a variation by changing the time signature, it may be just the thing you need to turn an ok riff into a great riff.