There's a reason certain guitar riffs stop you cold the moment they hit. They don't just open songs - they carry whole worlds inside them.A real riff is a story compressed into a few seconds of sound.

Great guitar riffs are often the first thing we notice in a 1990s rock song, as it sets the mood before the singer enters.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Quentin Singer is music journalist who covers rock and heavy music. Guitar music is a ubiquitous feature of popular music, ...