Guitar licks exist in a copyright gray area; short, common licks are generally fine and part of musical language, but a distinctive lick used as a central, recognizable part of a song, especially if directly copied, can be infringement, as melodies and specific musical phrases are protectable, while basic chord progressions and rhythms aren't. The line blurs between inspiration and theft, with inspiration being common, but using a very similar, recognizable lick might require permission or risk legal issues, as seen in cases like Led Zeppelin.
While distinct Voice Leading is copyrightable, Chord Progressions (like 12 Bar Blues, ii-V-I, C-G-Am-F) are standardly used in all genres of music and do not belong to any one individual. Rhythm - In most cases, the sequence of rhythms and "groove" of a song cannot typically be copyrighted.
How to check to see if a song is copyrighted
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. Before we go deeper, I want to speak about my connection to 'Stairway to Heaven'.
The 80/20 rule (Pareto principle) applied to guitar means 80% of your musical results come from focusing on just 20% of crucial skills, like core chords, rhythm, scales (pentatonic/blues), and timing, cutting out "fluff" for faster progress. It suggests focusing heavily on essential skills like basic chords, strumming, and rhythm (the "80%") to achieve most of your playing goals, rather than getting lost in advanced theory or complex solos, which often yield less practical benefit early on.
Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin
In fact, thanks to Wayne's World (see above!), Stairway to Heaven is often referred to as THE forbidden riff. Learning Stairway to Heaven has become almost a rite of passage for new guitar players. So, it's easy to understand why it gets belted out so often.
Dig in to 10 of these timeless licks that have inspired so many around the world to pick up a guitar and jam.
Understanding 'Hitting Licks': A Dive Into Street Slang
At its core, it refers to the act of successfully executing a robbery or theft—essentially making off with something valuable. Imagine someone planning a heist; they might say they're going to hit a lick tonight, indicating their intent to steal.
Daily practice is the key so aim for a minimum of 5 good practice sessions a week.
The "15 Second" or "8 Bar" Rule
The reality is that there is no legal protection in copyright law for these types of use. If you use a piece of a composition or sound recording that is copyrighted, you will need a license.
Use only your original work in your project. Get written permission to reproduce another's work. Use content licensed with Creative Commons agreements. The Search identifies content that you can use.
Tracks
The 10,000-Hour Rule for guitar, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, suggests it takes about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve world-class expertise, based on studies of elite musicians. It's not just about quantity of time but quality: focused, goal-oriented practice with feedback (like from a teacher) is key, not just aimlessly playing, and it emphasizes structured improvement over mindless repetition.
The US Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to revive the long-running copyright trial over Ed Sheeran's hit song Thinking Out Loud. On Monday, the court refused to hear an appeal from Structured Asset Sales (SAS), which claimed Sheeran's song copied Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, in which it has a copyright interest.
The 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) in songwriting means 80% of a song's impact, memorability, or success comes from just 20% of its elements, like the core hook, chorus, or lyrical phrase, with the rest being polish. It encourages songwriters to identify and focus on these high-impact areas (e.g., catchy melodies, strong core lyrics) to maximize results, while also applying the principle to their process by focusing on the 20% of activities that yield 80% of their progress, such as identifying the few core skills or marketing efforts that truly work.
"Hit a lick" is a slang phrase that means to make quick money. “Hitting a lick” most often refers to making a lot of money very quickly, and usually by illegal means such as robbery or theft.
In popular music genres such as country, blues, jazz or rock music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short series of notes used in solos and melodic lines and accompaniment.
So a Forbidden Riff is basically songs that are just overplayed. So it's usually a song that's the first song you learn on guitar. You're learning the guitar right now.
And now, here are some of the best guitar riffs of all time.
Taylor Swift's favorite guitar is often considered the custom Gibson J-180, known for its star inlays, which she's played in various colors (green, pink, blue, black) through many eras, including Reputation, Lover, and Folklore, though she also uses custom Taylor PS-24ce Grand Auditorium models and Gibson J-45s, especially for her surprise songs on The Eras Tour, showing a strong preference for Gibson's balanced sound and unique aesthetics.
The "forbidden chord" refers to the tritone, a dissonant musical interval of three whole tones (six semitones) considered unsettling and even evil in medieval times, earning it the Latin name diabolus in musica (devil in music). While historically discouraged by the Church for its harsh sound (an augmented fourth or diminished fifth), it became a powerful tool for tension and drama in classical music (Wagner) and a staple in modern genres like jazz, rock, and blues, used for its unique flavor.
The 10 Hardest Guitar Solos to Learn (In our humble and expert opinion)
Dirty Guitar Riffs is a raw collection of 48 stems and 24 combined guitar riffs, designed for psychedelic and experimental music. Packed with overdriven, distorted melodies and aggressive, trippy riffs, this pack delivers a gritty, mind-bending sound that pushes boundaries.