Using unified Octaves is an excellent way to give your riffs more dimension. They help riffs sound bigger and they can even help a riff come across as if there’s more than one guitar being played. Octave riffs do however require some technical skill to perform, and that's exactly the point of this guitar lesson...




Playing octaves within a musical statement makes that statement sound different. It's an interval based idea, yet it has nothing to do with harmony, (since it's the same note up 8-tones higher).

Guitar players like Wes Montgomery and George Benson applied octaves within a lot of their lines. In fact, octaves were a staple part of their style. The result is that those Montgomery and Benson style riffs sound absolutely fantastic!

There's no doubt that you've heard this sound in styles other than jazz as well. Tons of great rock, and blues players use octaves as well, including Santana and the late-great Jimi Hendrix.

This guitar lesson teaches the basic set-up behind playing Octave shapes on the guitar neck. Then, we continue on with 3 ways that can be used in order to organize guitar riffs using the unified octaves approach.

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EXAMPLE RIFFS:

Example #1).
As a substitute for chords (upon the 6th and 5th strings)



Example #2).
Riff played next to a guitar lick (4th and 3rd guitar strings)




Example #3).
Played as a “Melodic Theme” style riff (5th to 2nd string)






CONCLUSION:
Now that you’ve had a chance to understand how riffs can become further enhanced using octaves, take what we’ve done here and expand on it.

The idea of playing octave riffs as a substitute for chords, or as a statement /fills around licks, or even perhaps as a principle melodic theme, can all be an amazing way to apply octaves.

When octaves are added into a song they instantly boost the dynamic of the musical part and they push the effect of the phrase with a larger scope to the sound.

Just have a listen to Jimi Hendrix’s song “Purple Haze.” when Jimi adds the octave riff against that “E Minor Pentatonic” lick, they sound perfectly balanced.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy applying these octave ideas in your music! Take some time and work on inventing ways to apply them. You'll get better at the technique and you'll come to really enjoy the impact they create musically as well.



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Until next time, take care and we'll catch up again on the next lesson. Bye for now!