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Repetition

We shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender!

Winston S. Churchill, speech to the House of Commons, June 4, 1940

I do not assume any responsibility for frustration, injury or death resulting from the application of these exercises.

It might be odd to single out repetition as an area worthy of special study. Indeed, the central idea of lead guitar improvisation should be to not repeat yourself, shouldn't it?

The point is duly noted, but here's what I mean. A guitar solo should make a statement and it should be an integral part of a song and not just a tacked-on shred extravaganza. Therefore it is not out of place to approach a guitar solo like you would a public speech: repeating the important parts for effect.

Repetition is one of the central concepts in lead guitar playing. Don't be afraid to hang on those licks and milk them for all they're worth! The shorter the lick, the more efficient it becomes when repeated. Think of the repetition cells as bricks that together form a house. You don't build a large house from many small houses.

Shapes of Cells

I like to visualize repeated licks as occurring in groups, or cells, or two, three or more notes. Here are some examples:

E--------------------------------
B-12------12------12------12-----
G-12------12------12------12-----
D-----14------14------14------14-
A--------------------------------
E--------------------------------
E-------------------------------------
B-15-12----15-12----15-12----15-12----
G-------14-------14-------14-------14-
D-------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------
G-12-11----12-11----12-11----12-11----
D-------14-------14-------14-------14-
A-------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------
B-15-12----12-15-12----12-15-12----12-15-12----12-
G-------14----------14----------14----------14----
D-------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-15h17p15p12----12h15h17p15p12----12h15h17p15p12----12h15h17p15p12----12-
G-------------15----------------15----------------15----------------15----
D-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Or why not the tortured, bluesy attack on just one bent note:

E-----------------------------------------
B-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-
G-----------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------

Try the variation with a unison bend:

E-12---12---12---12---12---12---12---12---
B-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-15b1-
G-----------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------

Rhythmic Grouping of Cells

Aah, here's where the fun begins!

Repeated cells tend to group themselves into units that correspond to the time signature. One measure of 12/8 might contain four occurrences of a three-note cell, a measure of 4/4 might have four four-note cells. In the hands of an imaginative player, this might not be a sin unto itself.

However, there is definitely some fun to be had in playing the not so obvious.

It might be obvious to play triplets in a duple meter, and there is no great difficulty in it. However, when you play a three-note cell using straight 16ths, the accents do not fall on the beats.

Another way to shake up a 12/8 shuffle is to play groups of four instead of three. Three-note cells tend to fall on each beat of the shuffle (ONE-and-uh TWO-and-uh THREE-and-uh FOUR-and-uh). Predictable. Four-note cells fall off the beat (ONE-and-uh two-AND-uh three-and-UH four-and-uh). It is also possible with a little practice to play two against three, or even four against three. Just count a 12/8 measure like it has four beats without subdivisions into triplets. Then you can divide the underlying 4/4 into 8th or 16th-notes.

I also recommend going all-out on really odd numbers, like five or seven. Quintuplets or septuplets are not commonly found, and even if you don't master them (I haven't!), there is a lot of fun stuff to be found in just phrasing five-note or seven-note cells in even 16ths.