A motif is the short melodic or rhythmic core that recurs and is varied through a song. Even a handful of notes can be the seed that defines a song’s character.
The basic idea
A motif can do more than simply repeat: you can change its pitches, stretch its rhythm, invert it, or hand it to a different instrument. Being able to build development from the same material is its strength.
Its role in writing and performing
Placing a small shared shape in both the verse and the chorus gives the whole song a sense of unity. When you want to create development, transforming the motif is often more useful than adding new elements.
How to try it in your DAW
Write a short figure of about two bars, duplicate it, and change the octave, the rhythm and the timbre one at a time. You can then hear how the same shape works in different situations.
How it differs from related terms
A motif is short material for building a song, while a riff is a striking phrase that repeats out front. A motif can also be used as a riff.
Having one short, memorable motif makes it much easier to tie the sections of a song together.
