EXTENSION OF PHRASE

Music is normally written in phrases of four or eight bars. Songs of 32 bars length will usually be comprised of eight four-bar phrases or four eight-bar phrases. Extended, and sometimes truncated phrases, are not uncommon in jazz writing. This is one of many ways to bring variety and interest to your writing. The following examples make good use of this technique.

• North Rim takes what was previously an 8-bar phrase and adds two bars making it a 10-bar phrase.

• Matt Harris extends the first eight bars of the tune, There Is No Greater Love, and turns it into a 10-bar phrase.

• The bridge to There Is No Greater Love is extended from what would normally be eight bars to twelve bars.

• In this example from Oleo the last eight bars of the trumpet solo is extended to ten bars, acting as a cue to the listener that something new is about to happen.