riffed
Played spontaneous licks
Riffed is the past tense of riff, which means to improvise or elaborate on a theme.
Musicians riff when they play variations on a musical phrase; comedians and conversationalists riff when they spin out ideas spontaneously: We riffed on the absurdity of airline food for twenty minutes.
Separately, riffed can mean laid off from a job, from RIF (reduction in force): Half the department got riffed last month.
Spoke spontaneously, unscripted
- extemporizedPerformed without preparation
- freestyledPerformed without rehearsal
- jammedUnable to move freely
- noodledExperimented casually, aimlessly
vamped · unscripted · impromptu · unrehearsed · off-the-cuff · spur-of-the-moment · on-the-spot · winged
Fast, complex jazz style
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- scatImprovised vocal jazz
- bluesMournful American music genre
- standardsAccepted levels of quality
chord changes · comping · walking bass · modal · cool jazz · fusion · jam session · soloing
Root-fifth guitar voicings
- licksTongue strokes
- shreddingCutting into thin pieces
- distortionTwisting from original state
- amplifierSignal-strengthening electronic device
solo · fretboard · whammy bar · tremolo · harmonics · fingerstyle · strumming · hook
Hard conductive solid
- punkRaw, fast rock genre
- grungeAccumulated dirt or filth
- alternativeAnother available choice
- hard rockLoud guitar-driven genre
classic rock · garage · indie · psychedelic · heavy · thrash · stoner · doom
ad-libbed
Spoke spontaneously, unscripted
- extemporizedPerformed without preparation
- freestyledPerformed without rehearsal
- jammedUnable to move freely
noodled · vamped · unscripted · impromptu · unrehearsed · off-the-cuff · spur-of-the-moment · on-the-spot · winged · made-up
bebop
Fast, complex jazz style
standards · chord changes · comping · walking bass · modal · cool jazz · fusion · jam session · soloing · licks
power chords
Root-fifth guitar voicings
- licksTongue strokes
- shreddingCutting into thin pieces
- distortionTwisting from original state
amplifier · solo · fretboard · whammy bar · tremolo · harmonics · fingerstyle · strumming · hook · pentatonic
metal
Hard conductive solid
- punkRaw, fast rock genre
- grungeAccumulated dirt or filth
- alternativeAnother available choice
hard rock · classic rock · garage · indie · psychedelic · heavy · thrash · stoner · doom · post-punk
- oustedfired, axed, sacked, canned, terminated
- guitar riffsBrief melodic passages
- bass riffRepeated low-pitched musical phrase
- metal riffsHeavy guitar phrases
- heavy riffsLoud, distorted guitar phrases
- Riff RaffDisreputable or undesirable people