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Message: [QUOTE="Oxtail, post: 84450"] A motif is the smallest recognizable musical idea, usually just a few notes that have a memorable rhythm or pattern. Think of the famous "dun dun dun DUN" from Beethoven's 5th Symphony; that's a motif. It's super short but instantly recognizable. A phrase is like a complete musical sentence, usually made up of several motifs strung together. A phrase feels like it has a beginning and an end, like when you finish a sentence when speaking. [HEADING=2]Simple example[/HEADING] If you sing "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, " that whole line is a phrase. But just the "Happy Birth-" part? That could be considered a motif that gets repeated throughout the song. [/QUOTE]