The gravitational attraction of melodic notes imparts goal-oriented motion to the effect of any melody. When the gravitational effect of scale is coupled with rhythmic patterns in a melody, the effect of or sense of motion can be quite strong with the building of and subsequent relaxation of tension. Melody displays hierarchical structural design. The overall structure of music and the overall structure of language in Western culture are closely related. The overall syntax of language and the structural layering of musical events in a piece of music are strikingly similar.
Westerners think, speak and write in phrases, sentences, paragraphs, sections and chapters.
Musical structure is arranged similarly to this language model, and melodic structure mirrors this syntactical model of language very closely. The short units of these melodies are motives , and motives combine to make larger units of related material known as phrases . The length of phrases may extend from eight to sixteen measures and phrases combine to form complete melodies. Indeed, the motive that begins the first movement of Beethoven's 5th symphony is perhaps the most famous motive in the history of Western music.