6.9Phrases usually come in chunks

A lot of music is organized in phrases of:

• 2 bars
• 4 bars
• 8 bars
• 16 bars

Not always, but often enough to be useful.

For example:

4 bars:

| C | F | G7 | C |

That can feel like one complete phrase.

Or:

| C | Am | Dm | G7 |

This often feels like it needs another phrase because it ends on dominant tension.