A musical phrase is a section from a piece of music that conveys a specific feeling or thought, the same way a sentence does in regular speech. Phrases vary in length, and may be as short as one bar or as long as 8 bars, but the average length of a phrase is 3-4. We use bars to measure phrases, however phrases do not always begin and end at the beginning and ending of bars.
Phrasing is sometimes indicated by the composer using long arcs over the phrase. These should not be confused with slur marks, which indicate a melisma (2 or more notes that are sung on a single syllable).
The easiest way to identify a phrase is to look at the clues found in the text of the song and in the music itself. The punctuation of the text provides important clues: a comma often will, and period will almost always, indicate the end of a phrase. In the musical score itself, a fermata (sign indicating a hold or pause) will almost always indicate the end of a phrase.
Phrasing is important because it allows the singer to communicate the flow and feeling of the text, and avoids a robotic recitation of the words which places unnecessary pauses and breaks up the feeling intended by the composer.
Take for example, the first line of On My Own from Les Miserables:
Here I am alone again, nowhere to go no-one to turn to.
A singer who has poor phrasing might sing:
Here I am. Alone again. Nowhere to go. No-one to turn to.
Notice that in this example, the singer has fragmented one thought (that she is alone with no-one around) into a series of short, choppy statements that lack flow. These may or may not include the taking of a breath, but would definitely have a stoppage of air.
An experienced singer, however, would sing:
Here I am alone again; nowhere to go no-one to turn to.
Notice that I have changed the comma to a semicolon. Although there was originally a comma in the middle of the phrase, we see that the entire line completes a single thought, and should therefore be sung as a single phrase.
A Well-Sung Phrase Will:
- Have breaths taken before and after, never during
- Have a pleasant and consistent flow in breath, tone, and emotion
- Allow the notes to flow into each other, rather than having a stoppage of sound between them
- Sound natural and complementary with the accompaniment
- Not drop off in volume or breath at the end
NOTE : This last point is a common problem for singers! Use proper breath control, and make sure you communicate all words clearly!
Exercise #1
Sing through a simple scale, first as 2 phrases (1 upward, 1 downward - you will breathe before decending) then as 1 phrase (without a break or breath).
How do these two scales feel different, even though they are the same series of notes?
