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Do you ever write a bass line (or synth/guitar riff) that you love, but after a few loops it gets boring? No problem, you think to yourself, being here in the Hack Music Theory community you know that you need to write a variation for it. So you get to work on that. Fast forward an hour, and everything you’ve tried resulted in the magic of your original version being lost. This is a common problem, and Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and his band The Smile have a brilliant solution for you!

In their song “The Smoke”, they use a super creative method for turning a one-bar bass line (and guitar riff) into an epic ten-bar adventure. And most importantly, they do that without creating a conventional variation anywhere in their line/riff*. How? They take their one-bar riff and repeat it a few times, then just as it’s about to get boring, they displace it. What on earth does that mean? Well, this is how the dictionary defines the word “displace”: To move something from its usual place or position. So in musical terms, what displacement means is to play the exact same thing but in a different place/position in the bar (i.e. the riff starts on an earlier/later beat).

However, they don’t just displace their riff, they also cut it up and displace those segments. The result is mesmerising, and we’re captivated by this displacement as our brains try to figure out what’s going on. They then repeat their ten-bar riff, and the second loop feels even more captivating, as it catches us off-guard because we weren’t expecting it to repeat after ten bars (but more on that in Step 1).

So, inspired by “The Smoke”, here’s our 5-step method for writing a ten-bar riff that will totally captivate your listeners with its displacements. But first… Tea!

*Thom Yorke (bass) and Jonny Greenwood (guitar) play the exact same thing in the main section of this song, so to keep things simple, we’ll just be referring to what they both play as a riff.

Change your tempo to 93 BPM, then create a ten-bar loop on your bass track (or guitar track, if you prefer). When you’re done writing your riff, you’ll duplicate the track and load up the other instrument (guitar/bass), so it doesn’t actually matter which one you use to write the riff. Now, open your MIDI editor, set the grid to 1/16 notes, and let’s get to it!

You’re gonna start by writing a one-bar riff. You really want to take your time here, as this one bar is the source material for the whole ten bars, so make it good! The Smile uses E minor pentatonic scale for their riff, so we’ll use it too. If you’re new to this scale, it’s just the natural minor scale without its 2nd and 6th notes.*

E natural minor scale

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

E

F♯

G

A

B

C

D

E minor pentatonic scale

1

♭3

4

5

♭7

E

G

A

B

D

You can use any notes from the scale, but there are four rhythm rules to follow:

*For help with writing in the minor pentatonic scale, as well as in the blues scale (a spicy variation of the minor pentatonic), use Hack 8 in our Songwriting & Producing PDF.

Here’s our one-bar riff:

One-bar riff, with the accented notes on beats 1 and 3 highlighted

The Smile repeats their one-bar riff four times, exactly as it is. Four bars is the absolute maximum you’d want to repeat such a short riff. Any more repetition than that, and it’ll not only be boring to your listeners, it’ll actually be annoying!

But, they’re very intentionally pushing their repetition to the max. The reason for that is because they need their listeners to be 100% familiar with the riff before they start messing with it. If the listeners don’t have the original version 100% stuck in their heads, then all the upcoming displacements would be completely disorientating, and therefore completely unpleasant to the ears.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First things first, let’s get our riff stuck in the listeners’ heads! So, copy and paste your one-bar riff into bars two through four.

One-bar riff copied and pasted (highlighted) into bars two through four

Right, now the fun begins! Copy and paste your one-bar riff into bar seven, then…

One-bar riff copied and pasted (highlighted) into bar seven

Move that whole riff in bar seven to the right by two 1/4 note beats. In other words, in bar seven your riff should now begin on beat 3, instead of beat 1.

Riff in bar seven displaced to beat 3 (highlighted)

After those first four bars, their riff in bars seven/eight is the only time The Smile plays the full version again. But, instead of starting it on beat 1, they start halfway through the bar. While this sounds different, it’s a subtle difference, because beat 3 is a naturally accented beat in the 4|4 time signature. So, the riff still begins on a strong beat, just not the same beat. This means that when we hear their full riff again in bars seven/eight, it sounds comfortingly familiar, but at the same time it feels slightly different. This is the first of The Smile’s utterly brilliant displacement hacks. You can use this hack on any riff in any genre, and it’s super easy to apply!

If you thought that was cool, well… it was. But, it’s about to get a whole lot cooler! While this step is simple to do, it’s so crazy creative that it’s actually easier to just do it, then we’ll explain why it’s awesome afterwards. Are you ready for more fun?!

In bar four, copy the second half of your riff (i.e. beats 3 and 4). Then, paste that half-riff into bar five. But, instead of starting it on beat 3 like usual, move it earlier (i.e. to the left) so it starts on beat 1 of bar five. By the way, just to keep things simple, we’ll be referring to this as the “half-riff” for the remainder of this PDF.

Half-riff in bar five displaced to beat 1 (highlighted)

Okay now let’s explore why this simple hack is so awesome! You see, The Smile somehow found a way to give the listeners repetition and variation simultaneously. They haven’t changed the notes of their riff at all. They’re those same notes the listeners have stuck in their heads, and they’re played in the same order, too. However, the listeners are obviously expecting to once again hear the beginning of their riff on beat 1 of bar five, but instead they hear the second half of their riff. It’s so unexpected, yet familiar at the same time. It leaves the listeners mystified, in the best possible way, and entirely captivated to hear what on earth will come next.

Many many more displacements, that’s what comes next…

Right, so that half-riff you just pasted into bar five, copy and paste it again, but this time starting on beat 4+ of the same bar. This half-riff now runs over the bar line and into bar six, which is an amazing hack all on its own, because it begins to dissolve the previously rigid bar lines. This makes the music feel like it’s breaking free from the chains that were holding it back. It’s a liberating feeling for listeners.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 4+ of bar five

But, that’s not all The Smile is accomplishing with this creative hack. The half-riff is also now beginning on an off-beat (i.e. beat 4+) for the first time. This totally throws it off against the regular backbeat snare of the drums on beats 2 and 4. And what that does is give listeners the illusion that the drummer is playing something completely different, even though he’s repeating the exact same pattern.

That illusion is only achievable because we’re so familiar with the riff by now, that when we hear the same notes in the same order again and it sounds extremely different this time, our tricked brains assume (consciously or subconsciously) that it must be the drum pattern that changed. What a truly brilliant hack! In fact, I wonder if we’ll hear this hack on the next Meshuggah album?

Next, copy and past that half-riff into bar six. Except, instead of starting on beat 4+ like you did in bar five, move it earlier again and start it on beat 4. While this half-riff is back on a main beat, the listeners haven’t heard it start from this beat before. So once more there’s repetition and variation without even changing a note.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 4 of bar six

The Smile keeps shifting their half-riff earlier in every bar, so listeners can’t guess where it’s going to come next. It makes this section feel like it’s alive, a living and breathing piece of music that’s moving around right in front of our ears!

Next we’re coming into bar seven, which is already half written (from Step 2). So, where your full one-bar riff ends halfway through bar eight, paste your half-riff there. In other words, it’s going to start on beat 3 of bar eight.

By repeating and displacing their half-riff, instead of their full riff, The Smile makes it easier for listeners to follow along (after a few listens!). If they were displacing the full one-bar riff, it would sound a lot weirder. The ongoing displacement of a “bite size” version of their riff makes the whole section far more digestible.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 3 of bar eight

Next, paste your half-riff into bar nine, and this one they begin even earlier. Start it on beat 2+ (of bar nine). It’s so clever, as we’re back to starting the half-riff on an off-beat, and that syncopation throws it out (again) against the backbeat snare!

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 2+ of bar nine

Then do one more paste of your half-riff into bar ten, and yep you guessed it, this one’s earlier yet again! So in bar ten, start it on beat 2. Also, this half-riff has shifted back onto a main beat now, but obviously not the beat we were expecting.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 2 of bar ten

Did you just hit play and listen to the whole thing? If you did, don’t be alarmed, as it’ll be sounding rather strange in its current form. That’s because The Smile has one more brilliant trick up their sleeve, which is linking all those messy bits together into a cohesive whole. So let’s get to it and link this up into one epic riff!

In that gap in bar five, from the end of your half-riff to the beginning of the next one, use a few notes to link those together. The Smile uses three notes here. We use four. You can use any notes from the E minor pentatonic scale, but make the last one of your link the same as the very first note of your riff in bar one. Also, use 1/16 notes and some rests for this link, just like you did when writing the riff.

This link in your loop will probably be a slightly different length to The Smile’s (and ours), because it depends on what beat the full version of your riff ends on. In other words, this step is not a super precise method like the previous steps.

Linking notes connect two half-riffs (highlighted)

When you’re happy with your link, copy and paste it into all the other gaps in your loop. Sometimes the whole link won’t fit, though. When that happens, just delete the end of it to make it fit. By the way, you’ll notice that your link moves earlier each time too (just like your half-riff). Your links also benefit from that great hack!

The only guideline to follow when pasting your links into the gaps is to make sure each link starts on a main beat, or on one of the 1/8 note beats in between them. In other words, don’t start your link on a 1/16 note beat, like beat 2e or 3a. That level of syncopation would throw your bass out way too much against the drums.

Also, if you have a rest between the last note of your half-riff in bar five, and the first note of your link, then be sure to keep that same rest value before each of the other links. That’s an 1/8 note in our example, so before every link in ours you’ll hear an 1/8 note rest. Doing this forms a pattern, which helps make it memorable. When you’re done, your loop should have a total of six links or partial-links. And with that, you’re done. Congrats, that was an epic adventure!

You can actually make two versions of your final riff: staccato and legato. The way it is now is staccato, which means the notes are short and disconnected. To make a legato version (where the notes are longer and connected), simply extend to the right every note that can be extended. Now, hit play and hold on, it’s a wild ride!

Final staccato version of bass line, with all links and partial-links highlighted

Final legato version of bass line

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I'd taken it sooner!”
–Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

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