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Why is Keith Richards known as âthe Human Riffâ?
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the Rolling Stones
Formed in 1962, the Rolling Stones became one of rock's most definitive bands.
Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones earned the nickname "the Human Riff" due to his signature guitar playing style. This style is defined by a unique combination of blues musicality, his frequent use of a five-string open G tuning, and specific modifications to his guitar electronics.1
His approach, which emphasizes chord-heavy rhythms and weaving lines with a second guitarist, is heavily influenced by early 20th-century Chicago blues musicians and rock-and-roll pioneer Chuck Berry.1