Building on the Riff: Success at Last!

My post contentWelcome back! In this session, we dove into the continuation of a riff from a previous video. Last week’s riff didn’t quite fit the song’s vibe, but we saved it for later. Now, it's time to focus on perfecting the verse and making sure the overall structure flows smoothly. Let’s break down the process and see how it all came together!

Follow along with this video!

Revisiting the Beginning

Starting from the original riff, I wanted to flesh out the verse section properly. The goal was to create a chug pattern on the high hats but slow things down a bit. This part of the song is imagined with vocals leading the charge, so the rhythm had to be solid and leave space for vocal dynamics.

After getting the drums locked in, we moved into crafting the guitar patterns to make this section stand out.

Guitar Transitions and Avoiding Perfectionism

It’s tempting to want to fix every little imperfection in the guitar parts. But the purpose of these 30-minute riff sessions is to focus on writing—not production. While it’s easy to get caught up in perfecting tones and transitions, I reminded myself that this is about getting the structure down first. Production cleanup will come later.

Building the Verse and Chorus

Once the verse pattern was locked in, I duplicated the section and started experimenting with different drum fills and transitions. This method helped drive the energy from one part of the song to the next. Simple drum fills and guitar transitions were key to keeping the flow natural and energetic.

Adding Production Elements

With only a few minutes left, I turned my attention to adding production elements that would give the track more depth. I started with a tambourine and shaker to give the chorus a stronger drive. These subtle layers make a huge difference in the overall feel of the song, even when buried low in the mix.

Next, I dropped in a bass drop and some cinematic swells to really emphasize certain sections, like the transition into the chorus.

Listening Back

With everything in place, I turned on the mastering chain and played the track from the beginning. While there’s still some cleaning up to do, the song is really starting to come together! The structure feels solid, and the added production gives it the punch it needs.

Final Thoughts

This session was all about building on the foundations and adding the extra layers that bring the track to life. We’re still in the writing phase, but things are shaping up nicely.

If you liked this session, let me know in the comments! For those of you interested in recording or mixing services, hit up Ghost Noise Studio. Whether local or remote, I’d love to work with you.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already. More riff videos are on the way, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you next time!