Songs · chapter 11 of 11
Repeat, then break the pattern
Repeat an idea until it is familiar, then change one thing. Three times the same and a fourth that differs is the oldest shape in music, because the change only lands if the repeats came first.
The strip shows three repeats and a fill. Change how many times the idea repeats before the break.
That is the idea.
Surprise needs something to be surprising against.