There is no rule that says that a song or chorus must begin on the first downbeat. Pickups are a great way to build momentum in anticipation of the upcoming chord changes as well as a way to play “through” the bar lines. Here the idea is to play scale-wise into a chord tone on the first downbeat in each measure.
LEARN MORE… Composition & Improvisation: A Case Study: Part 21 of 24: Idea: Two-Handed Chord Melody
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