Ties
Ties are a method of increasing the time value of a note. A tie is indicated by a curved line connecting two consecutive notes of the same pitch. Ties are commonly used to create syncopated rhythms, as demonstrated in the next example.
In the first bar of the following example all the notes are played, but in the second bar the last eighth note is tied to the following half note. Do not play the second note of a tie, the first note is held for the duration of both. The swing rhythm is also used in the following examples.
Here is another example using a tie to create a syncopated rhythm. Syncopation means displacing the normal flow of accents, usually from on the beat to off the beat.
A riff can now be formed by applying the previous rhythm to a group of notes. A riff is a repeated pattern of notes that can be changed to fit all the chords within a progression. Riffs are very common in Blues.
The pattern used in the previous example can be applied to a full 12 bar riff. Buddy Guy plays some great riffs on Junior Wells "Hoodoo Man Blues" album. Try making up some of your own riffs.
