>> English is my second language <<
... your brother Craig McBrain was the English speaker in the clan?
repetition is essential to making a riff a riff.
a lick can be real recognizable, but unless it repeats it's not a riff:
"A riff is an ostinato figure: a repeated chord progression or melodic figure, often played by the rhythm section instruments,
that forms the basis or accompaniment of a rock music or jazz composition."
(from [
www.wordiq.com])