Hmm, I seem to have missed posts including this and past. Dammit.
puly, thanks for the links to the missing episodes. I saw the QotSA one - really great. I loved how he played the parts on piano and they sounded just like Bach in terms of how the lines moved against each other. And then the hidden fully horn section - so badass.
As for the quote above - in terms of the “one thing” that boils down a great Stones or AC/DC type riff, yes, very much so - a great rhythm groove with syncopation is a thing of beauty.
That’s not what I mean. I mean the inclusion of a passing note - those sus2’s and sus4’s we were discussing upthread - that take a simple D to A, or G to C and put them more in motion so there is melodic tension and resolution over the changing chords. Grooving those in the right place are the difference between boneheaded cowboy chords and coming up with a riff for the ages.
They work especially well over a two-chord vamp type song, you know?