The thing is, the same exact lick could start in different places, so if you get it completely out of context so you can't figure out where the 1 is (e.g. no drum or backing instruments), then it doesn't matter. Usually you'll get a sense of where the beat it vs the "&" of the beat, but not even always.Wehn deciding where the 1 is, try not to makeit on the first notes, sinceGgriff advocates you shouldn't start a lick on the 1 beat to make it sound less boring.
I absolutely *love* to play the same thing twice in a row, but not starting on the same beat, it can fell quite different, especially if playing over a chord change. this is the only example I actually have transcribed, it repeats the same thing twice (technically the last not of the first pass is shorter in this transcription, but the notes are the same and you could make the first lick last one more beat). If used in a blues in G backtrack without a quick change, the last G is actually on the IV chord and to me sounds different and cool even though I played the same pattern twice.
I think of it as the same lick, starting on the 1st bar, then repeated on the 4th bar one beat early.
Since the "4 qualities" are different (where it starts and ends) I suppose that's really 2 differnet licks according to Griff's definition
I think I remember the first solo in "5 easy blues solos" doing something similar, except one instance of the lick started on the beat, the other one started off the beat. Could be wrong. either way, I love it when people pull off something like that effectively.