 The alap consists of sitar played in free tempo , during which the song 's melody is previewed in the style of an Indian raga . Described by Harrison biographer Simon Leng as " essentially an adaptation of a blues lick " , the seven @-@ note motif that closes the alap serves as a recurring motif during the ensuing gat . The change of metre following the alap marks the first such example in the Beatles ' work ; it would shortly be repeated in John Lennon 's composition " She Said , She Said " , which Harrison helped complete by joining together three separate pieces that Lennon had written . 
