What are the most elementary techniques one can implement in a motif? Techniques for creating contrast, tension, ambiguity or some other "quirk" to make a motif more unique. By a *"motif"* I mean any short repeating pattern of notes. Please accept this definition for my question. By *"the most elementary techniques"* I mean techniques not related to (specific) time signatures, specific notes, scales, chords and rules of musical composition. Techniques understanding or noticing which requires the absolute minimum of music theory (or no theory at all). The notion of elementarity is really crucial for my question, so I'll try to clarify it with examples. ## Example 1 [The Next Episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZXc39hT8t4) by Dr. Dre, first 5 seconds. [Piano cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGRMZ7HLlig) (look at the left, blue notes). The main motif is just two repeating notes. But one of the notes is way shorter than another. So, the motif can be said to emphasize the contrast between the durations of the notes. Here's a couple of similar examples, but more complicated: * [King Of My Castle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae03NMnewoU) by Tiger Hifi (first 20 seconds). A single note is hit, but it produces multiple echoes. So, there's a contrast between the initial note and its multiple echoes. * **Agent Orange** by Depeche Mode, [0:15 - 0:38](https://youtu.be/zDURN5YeFpA?si=ZWuMufcBjoGJkooU&t=14). Emphasizes the contrast between multiple notes (or echoes of a single note) and moments of silence (or sustain). * This [piano version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDOx6o_djKw) of Crystal Castles' **Kerosene** really emphasizes the contrast between note durations. Even a person clueless about music theory will notice that the music has sounds of very different durations played in quick succession or simultaneously. ## Example 2 [Amo Bishop Roden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFBMIra45lU) by Boards Of Canada, e.g. the first 25 seconds (a [piano cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOdwGGJQEVU), look at the right hand). Also [Yume Nikki Ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-9lMcKWJwo) (a [piano tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrSpaXJOuwI)). In both cases the main motif is played 1 note at a time, except for a brief moment where 2 notes are hit at the same time. This adds an elementary contrast to the motif. [The Avalanches Electricity (Dr. Rockit's Dirty Kiss)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JndR4GU4IU), first 25 seconds, shows another very simple way to create an ambiguity. We mostly hear just a single instrument and the amount of notes it plays per second changes pretty drastically (1 note per ~6 seconds, 1 note per ~3 seconds, 4 notes per ~2 seconds), creating contrasts. ## Example 3 I'll finish giving examples by giving a couple of more complicated examples which, nonetheless, still require the absolute minimum of music theory. [Panic Attack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs8rkoouPSU) by Dream Theater (a guitar cover with the [score sheet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1TzFs5dTPY)). There's a 16 note motif with a subtle change in the last 8 notes. Sometimes that change is emphasized with a sharp note (10th note). Other times it isn't (10th note isn't sharp). This creates a very simple contrast. [Piknik - Be Forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HZV6H1yMFc) (first 30 seconds). We have a ~3 note motif played with pauses. But the notes change pitch (it can be seen in [one guitar cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zUvkOQ_CPU): fingers move higher and lower). The change of pitch creates an elementary contrast. Also, there are additional contrasts created by echo, flanger, and moments of silence/sustain. ## Why I think that my question may have an answer *Ostinato. Riff. Lick. Vamp. Hook.* There's a lot of terms for describing short patterns. *Call and response. Verse–chorus form. [Sound effect based techniques](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sound_effect&oldid=1211437716#Techniques). Broken chords (e.g. arpeggios). Tremolo. [Sequence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequence_(music)) (related [question](https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/32938/what-is-it-called-when-the-note-pattern-is-the-same-in-each-bar-but-the-actual-p)).* There's at least a couple of terms which describe musical techniques with minimum of music theory. So I figured that there may be terms for techniques implemented in very short musical patterns. Actually, the last three terms (arpeggio, tremolo, sequence) would fit as a part of an answer to my question. Though *maybe* understanding "arpeggio" requires quite a bunch of music theory, because it requires to understand what defines a chord when the notes are not played at the same time. "Tremolo" and "sequence" seem like more elementary techniques and I want to know techniques as elementary as possible.