Oriental riff

	The Oriental riff A sound clip of the Oriental riff.
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Simple melody of the Oriental riff.  Play 

Oriental riff,^[1] doubled at the fourth.  Play 

The Oriental riff, also known as the Asian riff, is a musical riff or phrase that has often been used in Western culture as a trope or stereotype of orientalism to represent the idea of the Orient, China, Japan or a generic East Asian theme. The riff is sometimes accompanied by the sound of a gong.

History

The Oriental riff is a Western invention,^[2] dating back to the "Aladdin Quick Step" used in an Aladdin stage show, The Grand Chinese Spectacle of Aladdin or The Wonderful Lamp, in 1847.^[3][4] The notes used in the riff are part of a pentatonic scale, which makes the riff sound like East Asian music to a typical Western listener.

Uses

The Oriental riff and interpolations of the Oriental riff have been included as part of numerous musical works in Western music. Examples of its use include "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas and Biddu (1974),^[1][3] The Vapors' "Turning Japanese",^[3] and Rush's "A Passage to Bangkok".^[3] The Oriental riff has also been adapted for use as video game Yie Ar Kung-Fu's main theme, the Chai Kingdom theme in Super Mario Land and the fighting theme of the Kung-Fu chapter in Live A Live.

The riff was also used in an eastern series, the Japanese anime The Super Dimension Fortress Macross. The song Shao Pai Long depicts a Chinese hero.

See also

• Leitmotif
• Stereotypes of East and Southeast Asians
• "The Streets of Cairo, or the Poor Little Country Maid" (the Arabian-themed equivalent of the Oriental riff)
• Italian riff
• Radio 4 UK Theme
• Aloha ʻOe
• Jarabe Tapatío
• Song of the Volga Boatmen
• Shave and a Haircut

References

External links

• The Musical Cliché Figure Signifying The Far East: Whence, Wherefore, Whither?, an extensive page dedicated to the history of the Oriental riff