Oriental riff

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

It remains an open question as to whether the Oriental riff has an actual origin in the region it is used to represent or is a Western invention, 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. The notes used in the riff are part of a pentatonic scale, giving the riff a resemblance to East Asian music in the Western mind. However, "while the 'Oriental riff' is associated with Asia, and usually China in particular, this generic exocit riff can sound characteristically Asian, Native American, or old English. It represents a nonspecific otherness."

In Western music

Simple melody of the Oriental riff.  Play

Oriental riff, doubled at the fourth.  Play

The Oriental riff has been included as part of numerous musical works.

Popular music pieces containing the riff:

• "When Buddha Smiles" by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed (1921), famously recorded by Benny Goodman
• "'Cause I Love You" by Mar-Keys (1962)
• "Bad Detective", first recorded by The Coasters in 1964 and covered by the New York Dolls in 1974
• "Cheepnis" by Frank Zappa (1974)
• "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas and Biddu (1974), #1 hit single
• "Kung Fu Is Back Again" by Roberta Kelly and Giorgio Moroder (1975)
• "A Passage to Bangkok" by Rush (1976)
• "Blazing Apostles" by Be-Bop Deluxe (1976)
• " Hong Kong Garden" by Siouxsie and the Banshees (1978)
• "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors (1980)
• "China Girl" by David Bowie and Iggy Pop (1983)
• "Big in Japan" by Alphaville (1984)
• "Man With an Open Heart" by King Crimson (1984)
• "Rice Rice Baby" by 3 Local Boyz (1990)
• "Tired of Me" by Live (1991)
• "Hong Kong Cockfight" by Kåre and The Cavemen (1997)
• "Mr. Bill Collector" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (1999)
• John Petrucci also included the riff in his improvised guitar solo during "Foxy Lady" in G3: Live in Tokyo (2005).
• Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John incorporates the riff and expands on it (2006)
• The solo section of "Anthem (We Are the Fire)" by Trivium (2006)
• The Moog Cookbook's cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"
• "Ojos Chinos" a salsa song by El Gran Combo
• "Chinacubana", a salsa instrumental by Willie Colón
• "Theme From The Chinese Market", an instrumental by Mad Creudo
• "The Walk" by The Cure
• "Kung-Fu Sandals" by Darling Pet Munkee
• "Che Che Kule" by Osibisa

In video games

• Club Penguin uses the riff in its background music for the Dojo.
• International Karate (1986) and its sequel International Karate + (1987), which feature music by Rob Hubbard
• Super Mario Land uses the riff in its background music for World 4, Chai Kingdom.
• Super Dodge Ball uses a variant of the riff when the player faces Team China.
• Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye uses the riff as a base to build the game's theme.
• The Konami games Yie-Ar Kung Fu and Shao-Lin's Road incorporate the riff into their respective soundtracks.
• Super Dodge Ball by: Technos, Peoples' Republic of China stage loops a funk rendition of China riff.
• Virtua Fighter uses a variation of the riff in Pai's stage.

In movies and television

• Commentary! The Musical, the musical commentary to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, includes the riff in the song "Nobody's Asian in the Movies".
• It was also included in the opening theme music to the cooking show Wok with Yan.
• A variation of the riff was used throughout the 1981 film The Cannonball Run, particularly when the movie cut to scenes featuring Japanese racers played by Jackie Chan and Michael Hui.
• A similar riff is heard during Gene Kelly's roller-skating performance in the 1955 musical It's Always Fair Weather.
• In one episode of the TV series Family Guy, Stewie Griffin makes fun of a serious-looking Asian businessman by singing "I work really hard 'cause I'm no fun" to the tune of the Oriental riff, and anchorman Tom Tucker reads an intro for reporter "Asian reporter" Tricia Takanawa, the recurring character who is the show's commentary on Asian stereotyping, to the tune as well ("gonna tell us all about the rain").
• The tone is used in the Cartoon series Drawn Together, associated with the character Ling Ling.
• The theme to the 1974 Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Hong Kong Phooey uses a variant on the riff.
• The sound is often featured in The Colbert Report, associated with Chinese segments during the show.
• The oriental riff is played when Cho Chang walks on stage in A Very Potter Musical.

Other uses

Zach Galifianakis, a contemporary musical comedian, includes the Oriental riff in his act:

Whenever my Asian roommate walks in the door, I play this. [he plays the riff] And she says "Zach, why do you do that every time I come in the room?" and I say "Because I don't have a gong."

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

External links

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