Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 10
- OCR
Hooks and riffs in pop songs
I can compose a riff demonstrating an understanding of successful riff writing.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
- Year 10
- OCR
Hooks and riffs in pop songs
I can compose a riff demonstrating an understanding of successful riff writing.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- A hook is a musical idea designed to ‘catch’ the listener's ear and is usually the most memorable part of the song.
- A riff is a repeated musical phrase that is typically the defining melodic material of the song.
- A successful riff is short, simple, consonant and repeatable.
- When composing a pop song, it is common to start with a riff.
- When writing a riff, we must ensure that it is short and simple. Less is more!
Keywords
Hook - a musical idea that is designed to 'catch' the ear of the listener
Riff - a short recurring or repeated motif used in pop music
Chord - two or more notes played at the same time; they are usually played as a triad and they form the harmony of the music
DAW - software used to record, edit and process audio (e.g. GarageBand)
Common misconception
Hooks and riffs are the same thing.
A riff is the more important feature in how the song fits together and tends to underpin some of the main sections in the music. It is also a more suitable musical starting point for a pop song composition.
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: Hooks and riffs in pop songs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: Hooks and riffs in pop songs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 4 music lessons from the Introduction to pop music unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Keyboard, DAW or other suitable instrument as a composing tool.
Licence
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