Almost every new guitarist thinks they are the only one to ever learn them.Almost every new guitarist learns these forbidden riffs.

These tracks are particularly frustrating to guitar stores as: The list consists of many well-known, but easy-to-learn riffs and licks that guitar store employees are fed up of hearing on a daily basis – for example, Stairway To Heaven! The forbidden riff is any overplayed song that has been (jokingly) banned from being played in guitar stores. You’ll also find a handy printable poster listing the forbidden guitar riffs that you can display in your guitar shop if you happen to be like me and work in one! What is the Forbidden Riff?

In this article, we’ll answer all of these questions, and reel off 21 of the most well-known forbidden riffs which are banned in guitar stores. But what does it mean, and where did it come from? And as the most famous example, why is Stairway to Heaven banned in guitar stores?

As a guitarist, you’ve probably heard the term ‘Forbidden Riff’ bandied around.

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