phrase
12
5.6
- noun
- /freɪz/
- Specialized
:
frase
- I listened to each phrase ebbing and flowing, each note exquisitely placed in the air.
- musical phrase
- melodic phrase
- rhythmic phrases
No, I sing like a phrase of that and harmonize with Lily.
- No, I sing like a phrase of that and harmonize with Lily.
- A musician shifts tempo in the middle of a phrase.
- You can use multiple Lydian sounds in a phrase.
Examples
-
Isolating one phrase of the known song makes the activity brief and simple.
Academic text (2012) -
In the abrupt quiet, a nearby soldier whistled the first phrase of "The Girl I Left Behind Me."
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In particular, the third and fourth measures of this phrase are challenging for many young people.
Academic text (2012) -
When students repeat the phrase on their instruments, they are likely to show greater musicality.
Academic text (1999) -
I ask my students to find the pitch or rhythmic error in each phrase or measure.
Academic text (1993) -
I often ask my students to play or sing a phrase using different tempos, dynamic levels, and/or articulation patterns.
Academic text (2015) -
The next revolution shall begin with a few gentle phrases of Johann Sebastian Bach.
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The choir started a call-and-response thing, where they sang a phrase and we sang back.
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Mr. Muti, when he conducted at all, mostly conducted phrases, leaving the beats to the orchestra.
Synonyms
149
2.8
A short part of a text or musical piece
1
3.4
A short group of notes that sounds complete in a piece of music
A short part of a piece of music with its own sound or idea
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
A group of words with a noun as the main word acting as subject or object
- Specialized
The order and grouping of words in a sentence that make parts like the subject and verb
- Specialized
A group of words that starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun like 'on the chair'
- Specialized
A fixed group of words that mean something different from the words alone
How Long
Surface Forms
Etymology
Phrase comes from the Greek phrazein, meaning 'to tell', so a musical phrase is like a spoken line in music — a short 'way of saying' that feels complete and natural.