Keith Richards Explains The Secret To His Signature Riffs
via @nomadtraveller100 / YouTube
Keith Richards is the embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll mythology. With six decades of music, controversy, and survival under his belt, Richards’ name has become shorthand for excess and resilience. From legendary debauchery to the kind of courtroom drama most musicians hope to avoid, Richards’ off-stage life has long been the stuff of headlines.
But beneath the public fascination with his outlaw persona lies a musician of astonishing instinct and originality. As half of the core songwriting duo of the Rolling Stones, Richards is responsible for some of rock’s most iconic riffs. While Mick Jagger might be the voice and face, Richards is undoubtedly the band’s musical pulse.
His riffs aren’t just catchy – they’re elemental. Whether it’s the raw opening of “Satisfaction” or the slink of “Start Me Up,” Richards has a way of boiling music down to its primal core. And as he’s explained over the years, that ability doesn’t come from rules or theory, but something far more elusive.
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A Life Without Rules
According to Richards, the secret to his riff-making is simple: there are no rules. He scoffs at the idea that songwriting follows a rigid structure. For him, chasing the “next missing chord” is more important than staying within musical boundaries. In fact, he openly invites disorder into the process.
His philosophy leans into chaos – or at least intuition. Rather than separating melody from lyric, Richards sees songwriting as a marriage of sound and meaning. The goal, as he describes it, is to have those two elements fall in love and work together naturally, not be forced into a structure.
This lack of structure may explain why so many Stones songs feel organic yet unforgettable. Richards doesn’t manufacture riffs – he discovers them. By turning away from conventions and trusting instinct, he manages to tap into something raw and immediate, something that doesn’t just sound good, but feels inevitable.
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The Riff As Revelation
To Richards, a great riff isn’t composed; it appears. He describes the experience as something mystical, where the guitar almost plays itself. One moment there’s nothing, and the next – there it is, fully formed and undeniable. That spontaneity, he insists, is what makes a riff great.
This approach requires a sort of surrender. Richards doesn’t aim to control the music – he allows it to surface through him. He believes that the best musical moments aren’t planned or calculated, but felt. They bypass the brain and go straight to the fingers, bypassing logic in favor of instinct.
It’s a fascinating way to think about music: not as something engineered, but something that reveals itself to those willing to wait and listen. Richards, in his own words, is just the medium. The riff uses him to arrive – and that’s what makes it pure.
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Channeling, Not Chasing
Richards sees his guitar not as a tool, but as an extension of himself – or perhaps the other way around. When he plays, he’s not trying to chase a sound. He’s allowing the sound to find him. This passive role might seem counterintuitive for a rock icon, but it’s central to his musical identity.
It’s why his riffs often feel so unforced. They’re not the result of laborious crafting; they’re the result of waiting, feeling, and trusting. Richards doesn’t demand inspiration – he invites it. That attitude turns every jam session into a potential lightning strike.
This mindset may be one reason the Stones’ music has aged so well. The songs weren’t designed to impress. They were born out of a kind of instinctual truth – a sound that exists beyond music theory or commercial strategy. That’s the real secret: Richards isn’t inventing riffs. He’s channeling them.
