Rankings
Practice counts. See where it puts you.
Every session you log lands on a monthly season that starts from zero on the 1st. Top ten gets paid. On the side: five songs the community votes in every month, and one exercise the whole app plays every day.
Free with your Riff Quest account.
- boards
- 3
- boards
- places paid each season
- 10
- places paid each season
- challenge songs a month
- 5
- challenge songs a month
- 1A player with a big first week
- 2You
- 3A steady regular
- 4A weekend player
- 5Someone who joined mid-month
Three boards
Three ways to be at the top
They rank different things on purpose, so a newcomer, a veteran and a collector each have a board they can climb.
Seasons
Only the points you earned this calendar month. Everyone starts from zero on the 1st, so a player who joined last week can win it.
All-time
Total points and sessions since the day you joined. The board for years of showing up.
Gear
Nothing to do with practice points: it ranks the rigs players have built in the Arsenal with the Fame their practice earned.
The Seasons board as the app draws it, filled with made-up players.
The season
One calendar month, and it pays
A season measures the month's practice and nothing else. Finish in the top ten and Fame arrives when it closes.
- What countsPractice time, healthy habits, daily quests and challenge recordings, everything you did this month.
- What does notOne-off rewards you can only collect once, such as learning a song or clearing a Scale Map box. They go on your all-time total instead.
- Nothing is lostOn the 1st the season resets, your all-time points stay exactly where they were.
- 12000 Fame
- 21200 Fame
- 3800 Fame
- 4500 Fame
- 5350 Fame
- 6250 Fame
- 7220 Fame
- 8200 Fame
- 9175 Fame
- 10150 Fame
Paid once, when the season closes. Fame buys gear in the Arsenal and cannot be bought.
Monthly Challenges
Five songs, picked by the players
Every month the community votes in 5 songs, and everyone records themselves playing them. It is the one place in the app where other people hear you play, and it pays better than anything else.
- Each recording pays 50 points and 200 Fame, all five add 500 more: 1500 Fame for a full board.
- A phone video is enough. Recordings are not judged; one that exists counts.
- Next month's songs are decided while this month runs: nominate a song and spread 5 votes across the ones you want.
Exercise of the day
One exercise, everybody, today
Every day the whole app gets the same exercise, drawn from 120 that the microphone scores note by note at a tempo, so every run is the same test.
A board of 5
The day's best runs, from your Home screen. Play it as often as you like; your best run is the one that stands.
One prize, for first place
When the day closes, the winner gets a rare mod at its best possible roll or a Legendary part. It needs at least 2 players on the board.
The same day for everyone
The day runs on UTC, so everyone plays the same exercise at the same moment. Runs from yesterday still land for 60 minutes after midnight.
Why it exists
A leaderboard a newcomer can win
An all-time leaderboard is a museum: the people at the top got there years ago, and someone who starts today has no reason to look at it. That is why the board that pays is a season, and why it starts from zero every month.
The rest is about variety. Some players want a number to beat every day, some want a month-long project, some want to be heard. The exercise of the day, the challenge songs and the season give each of them something to aim at, without making anyone play for hours to keep up.
Michael Apfel
Guitarist & Creator of Riff Quest
Frequently asked questions
How the boards and seasons work, in detail: Rankings and seasons
Can a beginner win a season?
Yes. A season counts only the current month, so it rewards how much you practise now, not how long you have been around. The all-time board is the one that favours veterans.
Why did my rank not move straight away?
The boards refresh on a schedule rather than the instant you save a session. Your points are already counted; only the display is behind.
What do I win?
The top ten of a season get Fame when it closes, from 2000 for first place to 150 for tenth. The exercise of the day pays its winner a rare mod or part. Fame is spent in the Arsenal and cannot be bought.
Is a challenge recording judged?
No. A recording that exists counts, played well or not. Other players can watch it, like it and comment.
Can I fake a high score on the exercise of the day?
A run is only scored by the microphone against the written notes, and a run longer than the exercise itself is not posted to the board at all.
Is it all public?
The boards show your name and score. Duel opponents stay anonymous until the duel ends, and duel runs stay off the public boards.
This month is still anyone's.
Join this seasonFree account. Your first logged session puts you on the board.