Debate - how many measures is this?

roundthebend

The song is "No Rain" by Blind Melon.
The intro has a little lead lick, accompanied by a chord strum, after some repetitions of this it breaks into a more obvious pattern.

We're covering it in our band. I said that the lead lick happens 3 times, but the "rhythm section" told me it was twice. I can see both sides to the debate. The lick is a lead-in to the chord strum, so the full measure only really happens twice, with a single lead lick on its own to start.

How would you describe it? Doesn't really matter, we just played it and agreed how it worked and forgot about the counting. Just seemed odd to have such opposing views.

Jonathangus

I'd say the intro lick is the end of bar 1, with the first chord strum on the first beat of bar 2, then the second chord strum on the first beat of bar 4, and so on.

stickyfiddle

The intro lick starts on the 3 before the first full bar. Then it’s 2 bars per lick, and 4 bars in total. 

roundthebend

I think I need to write it out to understand it.
Or, just go with my instincts and not worry as long as we are tight.

thing

stickyfiddle said:

The intro lick starts on the 3 before the first full bar. Then it’s 2 bars per lick, and 4 bars in total. 

This.

sev112

One single bar in 27 4 time?