Subject: what is verse,bridge,chorus, etc.
Posted by: Tom Taylor |
| could some one please give the the parts of a song and their meaning I have read some postings here that list songs written and some of them have 4-5 or 6 different catagories listed like (verse)(bridge) and so forth. thanks tom taylor |
Subject: Re: what is verse,bridge,chorus, etc.
Posted by: RobertK |
Any book on the subject of song will give you a good overview. I recommend Shiela Davis' The Craft Of Lyric Writing as the best starting point. Here's a fast primer:
AAA form: the song is a repetition of the structure established in the first verse; essentially, nothing more than one verse after another, with the hook/title usually repeated in the first or last line of each voice. Stems back from the days of the troubadours and folk music. Example: The Times They Are A'Changin', Where Have All The Flowers Gone
AABA form: essentially verse-verse-bridge-verse, evolved from the AAA form, adding a different musical/lyrical structure after two repetitions of the "main gist" of the song, then coming back home to familiar territory for the listeners ear. Usually the end of each verse has the hook/title, and in many cases it acts as a refrain (think of it as a "little chorus"), from which the future Verse/Chorus format would evolve. Example: Latest Flame, I Fought The Law, Strangers In The Night, My Way (note that AABA doesn't mean there's just 3 verses and a bridge - often, the complete song will be something like AABABA, where the second BA is a repeat of the prior BA verbatim, or in the case of My Way, it's more of an AABAAB, where the B's are different lyrics to the same musical bridge - just one of the ways a variation in things can make for interesting effect).
Verse-chorus aka V/C form, with variations when a bridge is added, like Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus or V/C/V/C/B/C - pretty much self-explanatory and the logical evolutionary progression of the prior song forms. The usual method when using a bridge is to have two complete prior sections finished before invoking it (like the AABA). I think there's something about our psychological make-up that naturally fits into the pattern of hearing something, hearing it again (for memory's sake), getting a little break with something new to keep things interesting, then hearing the original structures again, for that satisfying feeling of familiarity and logical conclusion.
Anyway, that's a short intro - read the book I mentioned and you'll get a better background, with some great examples of the minor variations and exceptions that have arisen in popular music. |
Subject: Re: what is verse,bridge,chorus, etc.
Posted by: Hobes |
Hi Tom,
Just to add a bit to what RK has explained...
Verse - Provides ongoing information. Sometimes you can get away with saying the same thing over and over again, but it's generally a good idea to slowly leak in new information through the verses.
Chorus - Sums up the information in the verses. If your verses are about the ways you love your honey, then your chorus should basically say "These are the ways I love you girl..." It's essentially the theme of the song. The hook is always in the chorus.
Hook - the part of the song the listener can't forget. If you're not sure, just listen to television ads - they're ALL HOOK. "you deserve a break today, so get up and get away to McDonalds..."
Refrain - just a shortened chorus. Usually one or two lines.
Bridge - used to break up the song a little bit so it doesn't get too monotonous...lol Lyrically, the bridge should introduce brand new information. Perhaps it's a personal revelation, maybe the singer decides he doesn't REALLY feel that way. Think of it as a "Why" sort of thing - in the Beatles' "Yesterday" (classic AABA by the way), we don't really know why the singer longs for yesterday until we hit the bridge. Up until that moment, we just know he's mopin' about. ("WHY SHE HAD TO GO...etc") It's this sort of thing that defines it from a chorus.
Pre-chorus/ramp/build - this is like a short chorus before the chorus. I know it seems ridiculous, but the best example I can think of is Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". The "ramp" starts with "People always ask me..." It's pretty long for a build, but it's VERY well defined. It's not a verse and it's not a chorus or bridge....
The best thing you can do is listen to songs and diagram them out. Write out the lyrics and assign the different parts to them AS YOU LISTEN. A - first lyrical section - B=second lyrical section etc...
I have a little songwriting guide I wrote will all this stuff in it. If you're interested, send me an e-mail and I'll fire it off to ya.
hobes
thewendels@hotmail.com
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