Repetition (phrasing) - Discussed, Part 1

"The listener wants more repetition than the player is usually willing to give" is one of my favorite statements to make in response to a student's query, "what did you think" after the commonly too active solo. I don't care how much technique you have, if you don't use repetition at the core of your song writing and improvising, by not repeating anything you're telling the listener there's nothing worth remembering. As Joe Filisko stated at a Harmonica Masterclass Workshop on this same discussion point, "If you're not playing something memorable, then you're playing something forgettable."

The idea is simple... the first lick you play in each chorus is the theme of that chorus (your "A" in my Chorus Forms concept). What you do with that lick via repetition and variation within that chorus is up to your musicality... your understanding of Chorus Forms and ability to dress up the "A" phrase in different ways... texture, rhythm and pitch development.

More tomorrow...