What is the forbidden riff?
The term “forbidden riff” doesn’t refer to a specific, universally recognized musical term or concept. It’s possible that the phrase is being used in a specific context, perhaps within a certain music community or as part of a joke or meme.
In the realm of music, a “riff” generally refers to a repeated musical phrase or motif, often played by a guitar or another instrument. Riffs are commonly associated with rock and metal genres, but they can be found in various styles of music.
The “Forbidden Riff” is a nickname for the iconic riff from Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” that guitarists often play in guitar stores. The nickname comes from the fact that guitar stores started putting up signs that said “don’t play that riff” because so many guitarists played it.
The “Forbidden Riff” joke was popularized by the 1992 movie Wayne’s World, where Wayne plays the riff on a guitar he buys in a guitar store. The store employee points to a sign that says “no Stairway to Heaven,” and Wayne looks at the camera and says “no stairway denied”.
While there’s no official ban on playing “Stairway to Heaven” in guitar stores, it’s generally considered poor etiquette because of how overplayed the song is.
If “forbidden riff” is used humorously or as a meme, it might be a playful way of referring to a musical passage that is particularly challenging, iconic, or even cliché within a specific genre or community. Without additional context, it’s challenging to provide a more precise explanation of what the term might mean in a particular context.
If there’s a specific context or source where you encountered the term “forbidden riff,” you might want to refer to that source for clarification or provide more details for a more accurate interpretation.
What is the forbidden riff?
The “forbidden riff” is a colloquial term often referring to the iconic opening riff of “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple. It’s called “forbidden” mainly in humorous contexts, especially among guitarists, because it is one of the most recognizable and frequently played riffs, leading to a sort of joke about its overuse in beginner guitar lessons.
Playing this riff can evoke mixed reactions—while it’s a classic, many musicians prefer to avoid it due to its ubiquity. The term has also been used more broadly to refer to any riff or song that is overplayed or considered cliché in certain music circles.
The forbidden riff is a guitar riff that is typically played in heavy metal music. It is considered to be “forbidden” because it is difficult to play and requires a lot of skill. The Forbidden Riff refers to the list of songs that are strictly prohibited from being played in guitar stores. It is an inside joke that began in 1973 in the streets of Copenhagen, London. This list is comprised of songs often referred to as – overplayed riffs. A lot of beginner guitarists mostly play overplayed riffs to show off.
Guitar shops employees will probably be able to give you a “top ten riffs we would be happy never to hear again”, and it would probably consist of things like Smoke on the Water, Stairway to Heaven, Sweet Child o’ Mine, Seven Nation Army and a whole lot of other songs that don’t start with an “s”.
These are the ones they hear played day in, day out by dozens of customers, sometimes well and sometimes… not so much.
There are stories of shops putting up signs “banning” certain songs, and of course anyone old enough to remember Wayne’s World will know the “No Stairway”scene, where that sort of practice is treated as the joke I suspect it always was.
But every job has its “not this shit again” frustrations, and if it was ever a good idea to kick a potential paying customer out of a shop because you didn’t like what they were playing those those days are long gone (and I’m not sure they ever existed in the first place).
What does ft mean in text?
There’s too much competition for too little money these days for a bricks-and-mortar guitar shop to be staffed by the sort of self-righteous prick who would do that.
Play what you want, but be considerate to the staff- there are frequent discounts to be had, but not you’re a dick.
What is the forbidden riff?
There is no single ‘forbidden riff’ but just a set of guitar riffs that have been so massively been overplayed at guitar stores that the store owners have grown tired of listening to them every time an amateur or a new guitar player tries on a guitar.
So out of the frustration of guitar store owners, it has become a kind of an inside joke among guitarists and guitar store owners leading to call the bunch of riffs as forbidden in guitar stores. Some of the examples of these forbidden riffs are:
- Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin
- Smoke on the Water: Deep Purple
- Enter Sandman: Metallica
- Highway to Hell: AC/DC
- Wonderwall: Oasis
- Sweet Child o Mine: Guns n Roses
- Sweet Home Alabama: Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Iron Man: Black Sabbath
- Seven Nation Army: White Stripes
- Purple Haze: Jimi Hendrix (not forbidden really, but overplayed as hell)
- Crazy Train: Ozzy Osbourne
- Nothing Else Matters: Metallica (really irritating especially if the player doesn’t know how to play the part after the opening verse).
These are a few which are on top of my mind right now. It’s usually Stairway that gets to be the butt of the forbidden riff jokes. People literally get kicked out of stores for playing Stairway in a guitar store.
What is the forbidden riff?
Someone WILL stop you if you try to play Stairway to Heaven in a guitar store. Whenever I try out guitars in a store, I usually play the STH solo instead so that no one gets angry.
There is no “forbidden riff”.
However, I would also list some riffs/ licks which you should play at the guitar store if your goal is to impress the owner:
- Free Bird: Lynyrd Skynyrd (the solo)
- Master of Puppets: Metallica
- Eruption: Eddie Van Halen (or any other awesome tapping riff)
- Mary Had a Little Lamb: Stevie Ray Vaughan)
- Pride and Joy: also Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Johnny B Goode: Chuck Berry (it is pretty easy actually but still impressive)
However, I believe you can play whatever the heck you want to play at the guitar center as long as you get your job done.
But not Stairway.
Because, if certain riffs were not banned, the poor devils who work in the stores would have to listen to them being at best repeated and at worst butchered thirty times a day.
Seriously, Stairway to Heaven is an awesome piece of music, but once you’ve heard it played wrongly a dozen times, it starts to lose its appeal. Even if it’s played correctly, if everybody who wants to try out an acoustic guitar plays it, the store staff will come to hate it. Violently.
So for the sake of the staff’s sanity, and the customers’ bodily safety, some stores have an official list of riffs that you can’t play. (Also, it’s a good way of separating out the serious potential customers for high-end instruments from the no-hopers.
If you’re trying a Custom Shop Strat at £3.5K and you’re just playing the opening riff of Smoke on the Water, you probably aren’t going to make a purchase, and the store owner would like you to put the expensive guitar down before you break it.)
What is the forbidden riff?
“No Stairway. Denied “. Wayne Campbell, the character played by Mike Myers in the movie Wayne’s World (1992), uttered the phrase after testing a guitar at the instrument store and was quickly interrupted by one of the employees.
The man showed him a sign that expressly prohibited playing ‘Stairway to Heaven’, probably Led Zeppelin’s best-known song, and the viewer sensed at that moment that the workers at the establishment were fed up with all the customers performing the same music.
The list of supposedly banned riffs in guitar stores covers several famous songs that we will review below. And, on the other hand, the truth is that the five notes that Wayne played in the film do not even resemble the originals of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ because the film’s producer could not get the rights. But that is another story.
“Absolutely, under no circumstance at all, are customers allowed to play ‘Stairway to Heaven’, ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ or ‘Smoke on The Water’ while trying our guitars. Thank you”.
The sign could be read in a specialist shop in London and had the same reason as in the previous situation: the employees were saturated with listening to these three songs, performed with greater or lesser success by the clientele.
The classics of Guns’n’Roses and Deep Purple traditionally form, along with Led Zeppelin, the trinity of the most worn songs by aspiring guitar heroes. Although the matter is quite true, in practice, no employee will veto any client or prevent him from playing the song he wants when testing a guitar. Of course, nothing will prevent you from twisting the gesture if you listen to any of the forbidden riffs again.
What is the forbidden riff?
Logically, the list has continued to grow over the years and ‘Seven Nation Army ‘, The White Stripes’ flagship theme, currently occupies a very prominent position.
It is also quite likely that guitar buyers who are ripped off by Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit or Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ will hear a disapproving murmur or receive a humorous comment from shop employees. If you purchase acoustics, they will appreciate you not playing ‘Nothing Else Matters by Metallica or ‘Blackbird’ by The Beatles.
By the way, speaking of the most famous song of the most popular grunge band, we cannot resist remembering that the title resulted from a joke. Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill told years ago that the anecdote took place after a busy night hand in hand with Kurt Cobain.
She wrote the phrase “Kurt smells like teen spirit” on a wall, alluding to Tobi Vail, the Bikini Kill drummer that the Nirvana singer was dating, and Teen Spirit, the brand of deodorant Vail used at the time. He was amused because he used that deodorant when he stayed to sleep at home …
But going back to the beginning, perhaps the most appropriate thing would be for the guitar store sign to read “No Taurus.” At least that is what the members of the band Spirit, authors of the song ‘Taurus’, dated in 1968, still maintain.
What is the forbidden riff?
The truth is that the song’s intro bears some similarity to the start of ‘Stairway to Heaven’, published in 1971. Hence, journalist Michael Skidmore, co-trustee of the band’s guitarist, Randy Wolfe, who died in 1997, sued Led Zeppelin in 2014 over a copyright issue. In March 2020, and after a complex judicial process, the courts agreed with the Page & Plant group. Led Zeppelin performed ‘Stairway to Heaven’, ‘Black Dog’, ‘Going to California’ and ‘Rock and Roll’ for the first time live on March 5, 1971, at Belfast’s Ulster Hall part of their Thank You Tour.
Page used a Gibson Double Neck to play ‘Stairway to Heaven’ live. He started with the 6-string neck, jumped to the 12-string in the middle and returned to the 6-string to attack the solo since it made it easier for him to perform bendings and slides.
John Paul Jones used to remember that the song became the most requested song on US radio in a matter of days. It was so beautiful that it became ubiquitous, and perhaps because of this, guitar shop workers consider it to have been played too many times.
Last July, singer-songwriter Annie Clark (St. Vincent ) posted on her Instagram account a cover of Led Zeppelin’s anthem accompanied by the following text: “As all guitar shops are closed, I thought you might have forgotten the sound of someone playing ‘Stairway to Heaven’…”
Conclusion:
In reality, there’s no such thing. I worked in music shops for years. Nothing was ever off-limits where I worked. Why would it be? You have learned to play Stairway To Heaven on your banged-up second-hand guitar and you want to hear how bright and sparkly it sounds on a new one. How easy is it feels on a better guitar? Knock yourself out my friend.
Are you buying today? No? No worries have a try anyway. Friends, If we are quiet you can stay awhile. If we are busy you can have 5-10 minutes.
If you are buying an electric and want to hear what it sounds like with a top-of-the-range amp even though you are buying your first electric, that is not a problem if we have the time. You can crank it up and play whatever forbidden guitar riff you want.
Why can you do this in my shop? Because after you get told off by the other salesmen in the other shops, over which tune you play that offends them.
You will come back to me first to buy that guitar that you loved playing smoke on the water a dozen times in our shop while always being treated respectfully as a potential new customer.
We don’t mind waiting while you save up your money. Come in anyway. If you are not playing the forbidden riff right. One of us will show you how.
“Not Stairs. Denied”. Wayne Campbell, the character played by Mike Myers in the movie Wayne’s World (1992), uttered the phrase after trying on a guitar in the instrument store and being quickly interrupted by one of the clerks.
What is the Forbidden riff and why is it called that?
Stairway is Banned Because it’s Easy to Learn
One main reason why Stairway to Heaven is so overplayed in guitar stores to the point of being coined the “Forbidden Riff” is simply because of how easy it is to learn. I’ll admit it, the intro to Stairway to Heaven was the first guitar riff that I ever learned.
What are some forbidden riffs?
What Are The Other Forbidden Guitar Riffs?
- Smoke On The Water, Deep Purple (when I first heard of the forbidden riff, I actually expected it to be this one!)
- Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana.
- Iron Man – Black Sabbath.
- Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd.
- Enter Sandman – Metallica.
- Wonderwall – Oasis.
Why is Stairway to Heaven banned?
There is no widespread ban on the song “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. The song is a classic rock anthem and one of the band’s most well-known tracks. However, there was a notable legal dispute related to the song.
In 2016, Led Zeppelin faced a copyright infringement lawsuit that alleged that the iconic guitar riff in “Stairway to Heaven” was similar to the instrumental track “Taurus” by the band Spirit. The lawsuit was filed by the estate of Randy Wolfe, a member of Spirit. The case went to trial, and in 2016, a jury ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin, determining that there was no substantial similarity between the two songs.
While the lawsuit did bring attention to the similarity claims, it’s important to note that Led Zeppelin did not face a ban on performing or selling “Stairway to Heaven.” The song remains widely played and celebrated.
The legal dispute centered on copyright issues, and the outcome was in Led Zeppelin’s favor. As a result, “Stairway to Heaven” continues to be part of Led Zeppelin’s catalog and is enjoyed by music fans around the world.
The main reason why Stairway to Heaven is ‘banned’ in many guitar stores is because of a movie released years ago. The reality is that the song isn’t forbidden to play, it’s just very overplayed by people trying out guitars. You’re not going to get kicked out of any guitar stores if you begin playing this iconic song.
So, why is Stairway to Heaven banned in guitar stores? In short, this is an ongoing joke originally seen in 1992 1992 movie Wayne’s World 1992. It is meant to poke fun at Stairway to Heaven because it is one of the most overplayed songs in guitar stores when people test out new guitars.
Why is it a forbidden riff?
The controversy surrounding the Stairway to Heaven riff has led to its being labeled the “forbidden riff.” It is because many musicians are now hesitant to cover the song due to the potential legal issues that could arise from doing so.
What is the illegal riff in Stairway to Heaven?
Stairway to Heaven is considered a “forbidden riff” because it’s banned from most guitar stores. Nobody enforces the ban; it’s more of a cultural etiquette.
What is the “forbidden riff,” and why is it prohibited in guitar stores?
In reality, there’s no such thing. I worked in music shops for years. Everything was always on the limit where I worked. Why would it be?
You have learned to play Stairway to Heaven on your banged-up second-hand guitar, and you want to hear how bright and sparkly it sounds on a new one. How easy does it feel on a better guitar? Knock yourself out, my friend.
Are you buying today? No? No worries, give it a try anyway. If we are quiet, you can stay a while. If we are busy, you can have 5–10 minutes.
If you are buying an electric and want to hear what it sounds like with a top-of-the-line amp even though you are buying your first electric, that is fine if we have the time. You can crank it up and play whatever forbidden guitar riff you want.
Why can’t you do this in my shop? Because they get upset when you play a song that offends the other salespeople in the other shops. You will come back to me first to buy that guitar you loved playing smoke on the water a dozen times in our shop while always being treated respectfully as a potential new customer.
We don’t mind waiting while you save up your money. Come in anyway if you need to play the forbidden riff, right? One of us will show you how.
What is the “forbidden riff,” and why is it prohibited in guitar stores?
There is no “forbiddy’allff. Guitar sh” ps employees wi “l probably be able to give you a “top ten riffs we would be h “ppy never to he “r again,” and it would probably consist of things like Smoke” on the Water, Stairway to Heaven, Sweet Child of Min,” Seven Nation Army and a whole lot of other songs that don’t start with an “s.”
These are the ones they hear played daily by dozens of customers; some don’t well, and some “me”… not so much. There are stories of shops putting up signs “banning” certain songs, and of course, anyone old enough to remember Wayne’s World will know the “No Stai “way” sc” ne, where that sort of practice is treated as the joke I susWayne’s always was.
But even” y job has i “s “not this shit again” frustrations, and if it was ever a good idea to kick a potential paying customer out” of a shop because “you didn’t like what they were playing, those days are long gone (and I’m not sure they ever existed in the first place). There’s too much competition for too little money for a brick-and-mortar guitar shop, to be. There’s the sort of self-righteous prick who would do that. Play what you want, but be considerate to the staff- there are frequent discounts, but not if you’re a dick.
Why is Stairway to Heaven if a forbidden riff?
You’re probably wondering why ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is jokingly banned in guitar stores. It’s all due to its overuse and a famous scene from the movie Wayne’s World. Its cultural impact is undeniable. As an iconic piece, it’s often overplayed by beginners, hence becoming a common sound in guitar stores.
The term “forbidden riff” in the context of “Stairway to Heaven” is likely a humorous or tongue-in-cheek expression used in certain guitar communities, memes, or online discussions. It does not signify any official ban or restriction on the song or its famous guitar riff.
The phrase might be used facetiously to convey the idea that the opening guitar riff of “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin is so well-known and often played by aspiring guitarists that it has become a cliché or overused in certain contexts. In guitar culture, there is sometimes a lighthearted acknowledgment of certain iconic riffs or songs that are played frequently, to the point where they are considered somewhat “forbidden” or joked about.
It’s important to note that there is no actual prohibition on playing or enjoying the song “Stairway to Heaven.” The term “forbidden riff” is more of a cultural meme or inside joke within guitar-playing circles and doesn’t have any legal or official implications.
What is the “forbidden riff,” and why is it prohibited in guitar stores?
Forbidden riffs include:
- Stairway to Heaven
- Smoke on the Water
- Rock You Like a Hurricane
- Sweet Child ‘O Mine
- Whole Lotta Love
There are others, but these are sometimes the top 5. The reason is that the guitar store staff hear them daily, and, in most cases, they could be played better. Any good guitar player will play something fresh when shopping for a guitar and knows better than to play anything on the forbidden list.
Hearing a dog howl all day at work would be annoying to just about everyone, just as a salesperson who says the same thing to customers all day, and songs on the forbidden list are no exception.
When I worked at Steve’s Music in Toronto years ago, the salespeople posted a list of songs not to play, or they would come over and cut your patch cable. A similar sign still exists today (I was there late last year and saw one).
Why are there “banned riffs” in guitar stores?
Because if certain riffs were not banned, the poor devils who work in the stores would have to listen to them being, at best, repeated and, at worst, butchered thirty times a day. Stairway to Heaven is an awesome piece of music, but once you’ve heard it played wrongly a dozen times, it starts to lose its appeal. Even if it’s played correctly, if everybody who wants to try out an acoustic guitar plays it, the store staff will come to hate it. Violently.
So for the sake of the staff’s sanity and the customers’ physical safety, some stores have an official list of riffs you can’t play. (Also, it’s a good way of separating the serious potential customers for high-end instruments from the no-hopers. If you’re trying a Custom Shop Strat at £3.5K and just playing the opening riff of Smoke on the Water, you probably aren’t making a purchase, and the store owner would like you to put the expensive guitar down before you break it.)
What happens if you play Stairway to Heaven in a guitar store?
Stairway To Heaven is considered a “forbidden riff” because it’s banned from most Guitar stores. Nobody enforces the ban, it’s more of a cultural etiquette.
The idea of playing “Stairway to Heaven” in a guitar store has become a widely known and somewhat humorous cultural reference in the guitar community. The joke is rooted in the notion that the song’s iconic opening guitar riff has been played so frequently by customers testing guitars in stores that some establishments humorously discourage or even ban it.
In the past, there have been anecdotes and stories shared by musicians about signs or policies in guitar stores stating “No Stairway to Heaven” or similar phrases. This became a humorous way to acknowledge the popularity of the song and the tendency for aspiring guitarists to play that specific riff when testing out guitars in stores.
It’s essential to recognize that these signs or policies are often intended in a lighthearted and playful manner. They are not enforceable rules but rather a cultural reference that reflects the ubiquity of the song in guitar store settings. While it may elicit a chuckle, playing “Stairway to Heaven” in a guitar store is generally allowed, and store staff members are likely accustomed to hearing it frequently.
Why is Smoke on the Water a forbidden riff?
“Why do some guitar shops not allow Smoke on the Water to be played?” It’s because that riff (and the one from Stairway) opens a portal to noodling on an expensive guitar to “impress” people with no actual intention of buying the bloody thing.
The term “forbidden riff” in the context of “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple is often used humorously or sarcastically in guitar-playing communities. It is not an official designation or ban but rather a playful acknowledgment of the song’s immense popularity and the tendency for aspiring guitarists to play its famous riff in various settings, such as guitar stores or music shops.
“Smoke on the Water” is known for its iconic guitar riff, which is one of the most recognizable in rock music. The riff is straightforward and relatively easy to play, making it a common choice for beginners learning the guitar. As a result, the riff has become somewhat of a cliché or stereotype associated with novice guitar players.
The idea of labeling it a “forbidden riff” is a humorous way to acknowledge that the riff has been played so frequently that it has become a running joke in guitar culture. Signs or jokes like “No Stairway to Heaven” (from the previous discussion) or “No Smoke on the Water” in guitar stores are meant to playfully discourage the overuse of these famous and easily recognizable riffs during impromptu guitar demonstrations.
In essence, there is no official ban on playing “Smoke on the Water,” and it remains a classic and widely appreciated rock song. The term “forbidden riff” is more of a cultural reference within the guitar-playing community.
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What is the forbidden riff?