
The opening riff of Smoke on the Water is the first thing most beginning guitarists learn to play, and it is arguably the most famous guitar riff in rock history. Ritchie Blackmore played the descending G minor power chord riff in a bare, unfussy style that made it instantly accessible and eternally memorable. The song was inspired by a real fire at a Frank Zappa concert at the Montreux Casino — the band watched it burn from across Lake Geneva.
Reference:
TaskLoco™ — The Sticky Note GOAT