I used to have trouble finishing songs. Musical variation helped. But, out of fear of being boring, I avoided repetition. The results were often chaotic. So, to create more coherent music, I've thought about how and why to use more repetition in my songs. (I’ve also looked at some Rush songs to see their approach.)
Repetition is boring. Or is it?
Repetition is boring.
Repetition is boring.
Repetition is boring.
Repetition is boring.
That sort of exact, continuous, predictable repetition is boring. But, repetition can also be inexact, discontinuous, unpredictable, and not boring:
Repetition is boring.
Repetition is boring.
Not always!
Not today!Repetition isn't boring?
Repetition isn't boring?
Not always!
Not today!Repetition is boring!
Repetition is boring!
Not always!
NOT TODAY!
Better! Let’s look at creative ways to repeat an idea, some of which I've used above.
Approaches to repetition
AA' - Change the idea slightly.
ABA - Return to the idea after exploring others. This can provide a strong sense of coherence, closure, and homecoming.
ABACA - Return to the idea again and again as you explore. This ties a song together, giving it coherence.
ABABA - Alternate between two ideas. Incidentally, this creates strong expectations you can then break for dramatic effect. Rush's La Villa Strangiato alternates awhile, but then surprises you when the now-familiar transition leads someplace new.
AB AB...AC AC - Given an idea with two parts A and B, reuse only one part later.
AAAA...AAAA
BBBB.…CCCC - Bring an idea back in a new context (e.g. a new beat).
ABAB (ABAB)’ ABAB (ABAB)’ - Group an idea with others, then repeat the group. You can do this several times, ending up with a group of groups of groups, etc. In Rush’s YYZ, one section is built by repeatedly doubling just two short ideas - from 2 to 4 to 8 to 16 bars:
AB - start with two complementary ideas
ABAB - group is repeated
ABAB (ABAB)’ - new group is repeated, but transposed up
ABAB (ABAB)’ ABAB (ABAB)’ - new group is repeated
C………
B…B…
AAAA - Loop layers at different rates (e.g. every 1, 2, 4, or 8 bars). The 16-bar intro to Rush’s Bravado consists of three overlapping loops:
8-bar bass (repeats 2x)
4-bar drum (repeats 4x)
2-bar guitar (repeats 8x)
You can mix and match approaches:
ABCD EFG ABCD - In Rush's Tom Sawyer, the first third of the song has many parts, and the whole sequence is repeated again at the end. This is a sort of ABA pattern where A and B aren't individual ideas, but groups of ideas.
ABAB CDEFG (ABAB)’ - Group-and-repeat A and B, then return to the group after exploring other ideas. Instead of returning to the exact same idea, return to a slightly-changed version. This combines three things: group-and-repeat, leave-and-return (ABA), and change-it-slightly (AA').
Purposes of repetition
Appreciation. A good idea is worth hearing again - maybe many times. If it flashes by too quickly, the listener may not have time to understand it, much less appreciate and enjoy it. Ask yourself: Have I given the listener enough time to appreciate this idea?
Building. Once the listener is comfortable with an idea, you can build on it without creating confusion. This ultimately allows you to work your way up to more complex, multi-layered textures. Have I given the listener enough time to understand this idea?
Effort. By repeating ideas, you don't have to come up with so many of them, and the listener doesn't have to work so hard to understand them all. You can both relax. Of course, you want to challenge yourself and the listener at certain moments, but not every moment. Have I given the listener enough time to relax?
Surprise. Changes are more striking when the music has become somewhat predictable. Have I given the listener enough time and clarity to form expectations, so that the next change will be a special surprise?
Returning. If you get the listener familiar with an idea, it will be recognizable later, and can provide a strong sense of coming home, especially at the end of a song. (Meanwhile, returning to an unfamiliar idea just sounds like something new.) Has the idea had time to stick in the listener's memory?
Legitimacy. Once is a mistake. Twice is jazz. A weird, new idea can sound arbitrary. Returning to it can make it sound more like it belongs. (Rush’s Spirit of Radio does this with an unexpected reggae section at the end.) More generally, you can repeat it in different forms, perhaps hinting at it in the background or otherwise weaving it into the fabric of the song. Have I made this idea sound like it belongs in the song?
Coherence. When an idea is used throughout a song, it ties everything together. By mixing, alternating, or surrounding new material with familiar material, you can avoid things sounding arbitrary. Often, ideas from the beginning show up at the end. Have I tied the song's parts together? What material would be best for that? Where should it be placed?
Distinctiveness. You can fill a song with a hundred ideas that occur only once, but then it has no signature ideas. Ideas that stand out. Ideas you've become familiar with. Ideas that you can recall and recognize. Focusing on a few heavily-repeated ideas gives the song its signature. Does the song have any signature ideas? Any memorable hooks? If not, which ideas could play that role? How can I focus more attention on those?
Conclusion
With a clearer picture of the possibilities and purposes of repetition, I think I can look forward to trading musical chaos for coherence!
Repetition is boring.
Repetition is boring.
Not if it’s clever!
Not if it’s creative!Never repeat!
Never repeat!
But it’s chaotic…
But it’s confusing…Repetition is boring!
Repetition is boring!
Not if it’s clever!
NOT IF IT’S CREATIVE!