Part 9: Pentatonics become musical choices · Lesson 082 / 117
Repeat a motif and change its answer
Create continuity through deliberate repetition.
A motif is a small recognisable idea. It might be a few notes, a rhythm, or a contour. Repeating it lets the listener recognise something before you change it.
Use A–C–D–C as four quarter notes. Repeat the rhythm and the first three notes, but end on A: A–C–D–A. The second phrase now answers the first with a different destination.
Play both over Am initially. Identify A as root, C as minor third, and D as fourth above A. D is outside the Am triad, so its movement into a chord tone helps explain its place.
Leave a bar of space between attempts. Continuous playing can make every fragment blend into the next. Hearing the idea as a small unit makes variation easier to plan.
Hear it
Motif
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
Call: A C D C. Answer: A C D A. Same rhythm and opening; different final destination.
Try it, slowly
- Clap the motif's rhythm.
- Play call and answer with a pause between them.
- Write a third answer that changes only the final note, then name its role over Am.
Check one idea
What makes the second phrase related to the first?
Show the explanation
It retains the rhythm and opening A–C–D. Changing only the ending produces a recognisable variation rather than an unrelated new lick.
A good place to stop
You can identify what you repeated and what you deliberately changed.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.