What is a musical phrase?

Answer 1

A phrase is the number of bars it takes for the chord progression of a song to repeat. For example, a 4-bar phrase is when the chord progression, drum beat, and/or vocal pattern of a song repeats every four measures. They will repeat every twelve measures in a 12-bar phrase. A phrase also determines when a change will occur. When the chord progression, drum beat, or vocal pattern changes, it will always change after the end of a phrase. If the song does have a drum track, there will often (but not always,) be a fill near the end of a phrase.

Answer 2

You might need to include a little more detail; there is more than one answer. A main technique used in many (usually older) operas is 'motif'. A motif is a phrase that becomes associated with a specific character, or with an even or emotion. When repeated at various times throughout the work, the motif invokes the memory of the person or thing it is associated with. You might also be thinking of the fugue, where a piece (often for keyboard but not exclusively so) is built upon the interplay of thematic material. Fugues are usually written in 3 or more 'voices', where the voices take turns introducing the material and then the material is repeated and interwoven in various ways until the end. J. S. Bach is probably the undisputed master of the fugue form. Among the many fugues not written by Bach are the fugue section to 'Symphony of Psalms' by Stravinsky, and the haunting fugue from Ravel's 'Tombeau de Couperin'. The repeating of musical phrases can also happen in works written in sonata-form, like some symphonic movements. Themes are repeated, developed and transformed throughout.

Answer 3

A musical phrase is 4 bars usually or in Pop Music it is 8 bars! You can usually hear it in music except music from the baroque period really!

Answer 4

This is called an ostinato

In some song forms it may also be referred to as the burden or refrain of the song