Phrasing over a riff
The short version
Targeting answers "which note do I land on?" Phrasing answers "when does the idea start, where does it breathe, and does it finish before the riff's next accent?" A scale run with no rests is one long word. The metal leads people remember leave space.
Five rules that work
- Sometimes leave beat 1 alone. Come in on the "and" of 1, or on beat 2. It instantly sounds like an answer to the riff instead of a warm-up.
- Play four to seven notes, then rest at least as long as two of them. The rest is part of the phrase.
- End on a target note of the chord that's playing. If you can't name that chord, go read targeting first.
- Repeat a shape once before inventing a new one. Call and response with yourself. A new shape every bar sounds like panic, not vocabulary.
- One flourish per phrase, max. A pinch harmonic, a quick legato slur or a three-string sweep. The flourish isn't the phrase.
Drill: one vamp, four phrases
Loop two chords, E5 to G5. Play four phrases with these rules: come in late at least twice, land on a target every time, and use the same three-note idea in phrases 1 and 3. Record it. If it sounds like a scale exercise, you skipped the rests.