Music, like language, has its own grammar and syntax. Just as we use punctuation and structure to convey thoughts effectively, musicians employ a similar technique called musical phrasing. As a composer and performer, I have come to appreciate the power and subtlety of phrasing in transforming a melody into a captivating story.
'Musical Phrasing' Meaning
So, what is musical phrasing?
Musical phrasing is the art of shaping and organising a series of notes into coherent, expressive and meaningful musical sentences. This can be done using various musical phrasing techniques, listed later on.
Musical Phrasing as a Thoughtful Sentence
Think of a melody like a sentence in music. It’s made up of notes arranged to express feelings or ideas, similar to how words form sentences to convey meaning. Musicians break melodies into parts called phrases, giving listeners room to feel and understand the music.
Phrasing makes a melody come alive with the use of sound and silence. Similar to a great speaker, a musician shapes the melody with phrasing, adding dynamics and contour. By adjusting timing, emphasis, and even silence, performers evoke different feelings and convey their message. Just like a powerful sentence sticks with us, a well-phrased melody can stay in our thoughts long after the music stops.
Dynamics and Breath in Musical Phrasing
As humans, we vary our speech’s volume and intensity. We naturally change our tone to emphasise parts of our story. For example, when talking about something sad or serious (e.g. the death of a loved one), we’ll naturally lower our voice. If we’re excited about something, our voice might become louder and increase in pitch.
Similarly, musicians use dynamic shifts to build tension, release and drama within a phrase. Adding pauses or holding notes, similar to taking breaths, brings a natural rhythm and vitality to the melody.
Just like when an inspirational speaker on a TED Talk pauses after a sentence, causing the audience to sit still in anticipation, music uses similar techniques to build suspense. A perfect example is the ‘beat drop’ in a cool beat. You sense something is coming, but the exact moment remains uncertain.
Conversations Within Music
Similar to how conversations shape our interactions, musical phrasing extends to the interaction between different instruments or vocal parts in a song. This interplay creates a complex mix of melodies, harmonies and counterpoints. Through these musical exchanges, the story gains depth and complexity, allowing for subtle storytelling and emotional richness.
Musical phrasing lets musicians express themselves uniquely, adding their interpretation and style to a piece. Like how two people might read a sentence differently, musicians can shape a melody based on their artistic preferences. I believe focusing on phrasing helps musicians convey their intentions more clearly, making their music more impactful.
Examples of Musical Phrasing in Music
There are various ways you can use musical phrasing in music. Below are 10 examples of musical phrasing techniques:
- Crescendo/Decrescendo. Gradually increasing (crescendo) or decreasing (decrescendo) the volume of a phrase.
- Legato/Staccato. Legato phrasing involves smooth, connected notes, while staccato phrasing features short, detached notes.
- Accentuation. Emphasising certain notes within a phrase to give them more weight and importance.
- Dynamics. Varied use of loudness and softness to convey emotional intensity and expression.
- Articulation. Different ways of playing or singing notes, such as using slurs, accents or tonguing in instrumental music.
- Rhythmic pacing. Altering the timing and rhythmic patterns within a phrase to create tension, release or forward momentum.
- Rubato. Temporarily speeding up or slowing down the tempo for expressive purposes, often by borrowing time from one note or phrase and giving it to another.
- Phrasing marks. Musical notation symbols like slurs, phrase marks and breath marks indicate how phrases should be grouped and articulated.
- Breath control. In vocal music, using controlled breathing techniques to shape phrases and convey emotion.
- Melodic shape. Crafting phrases with ascending, descending or arching melodic contours to create a sense of direction and resolution.
Using these techniques in music composition can greatly improve the expressiveness and meaning behind a piece of music. Whether you’re arranging New Age music or composing a dramatic orchestration piece, see what you can use to add interest and variation.