Here's a mental exercise to help with musical phrasing. It's based on the American states—No instrument required! If you vocalize the states, take your breaths between the words and not between the syllables of one word. Say them slow; then say them fast. Then apply them to repetitive 2, 3 or 4 note phrases on your instrument depending on the beat. Let your fingers breath for a fraction of a second between each word. When you master this, break each beat into two eighth notes and begin your phrase on the various offbeats. Finally, add rests and SWING your phrasing back and forth between starting on the upbeats, downbeats and offbeats. Now you're smokin'.

2/4 Beat; begin on first beat... TEXas, U-tah, KANsas
2/4 Beat; begin on second beat... New YORK, VerMONT

3/4 beat; begin on first beat... I-owa, FLOrida, ORegon, WASHington
3/4 beat; begin on second beat... TennesSEE, IlliNOIS
3/4 beat; begin on third beat... KenTUCky, New JERsey, WisCONsin

4/4 beat; begin on first beat... INdiana, NORTH Dakota, SOUTH Dakota
4/4 beat; begin on second beat... KalamaZOO (Sorry, couldn't find a state)
4/4 beat; begin on third beat... CaliFORnia, ColoRADo, AlaBAMa
4/4 beat; begin on fourth beat... New MEXico

Here's an adventurous 5/4 word... LouisiANa Dave Brubeck would be proud.