Day 4 – Song structures
Welcome back to the theory cave!
Today we take a step back to look at the charcoal marks we’ve made all over the ceiling…
…and see if we can link them into a coherent picture our distant successors would be able to admire millenia from now.
More specifically, today we talk about song structures and how they influence the elements of melody, chords and rhythm.
If you don’t feel like reading, you can skip directly to the practical example below.
1. Punctuation
Structure is not strictly speaking music theory, but to the extent to which it affects the musical tools you are using, it’s useful to be aware of the most common sections you can have in your song.
As songs evolved from the epic poems and oral tradition stories of yore (and from the tribal or religious chants) they not only became shorter, but also more diverse structurally.
The different parts of a song, like verse, chorus and bridge, serve punctuation and dramatic functions.
The same way you have words, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and chapters in prose, or lines and stanzas in poetry, you have sections in your song which are distinct chunks of story, meaning, thought, emotion and energy.
If you are not a fan of the folk genre for example, you might find it hard to listen to folk songs, because they are often like poems sung out loud — stanza after stanza of storytelling with little diversion musically.
Sure, there is repetition of melodies, chords and rhymes to shape the whole thing, but in terms of musical drama, there is little to go by. There is the unfolding story to cling on to, but the energy levels of the music do not fluctuate too much.
Now add a refrain, like a recurring stanza, couplet or phrase, (for example the phrase “Look out kid” in Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” or the tagline “The times they are a-changin'” in the eponymous song) and the whole thing starts to feel differently.
There is now punctuation — signposts — whose repetition becomes meaningful and triggers both recognition and expectations in the listeners. AND it allows us to breathe, as the period at the end of a sentence.
(Which reminds me something I forgot to mention on Melody Day — rests (silences) can be as important as the notes around them.)
2. Common structures
The AAB structure of the blues has even clearer signposts. The first 4-bar line is repeated, with a variation of harmony and often of melody, setting up a “call” (more about that tomorrow), which is then answered by the third and final line (where the dominant chord dominates and provokes an irresistible loop back to the beginning).
Evergreens from the beginning of the 20th century increase the length of sections to 8 measures and add one more A-section after the B-section, which is now in the “middle” and will evolve into a bridge or middle 8 later on — giving us the AABA structure.
Fast forward several decades, and there are now even more sections with people experimenting with starting with a chorus (when they need “Help” like the Beatles), leaving the chorus out and opting for a “this section, that section” structure (“Stairway to Heaven”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”), etc. There is even talk of a pre-chorus.
Modern pop songs often have structures like verse-verse-prechorus-chorus-bridge-prechorus-chorus-chorus, give or take a few.
Structure depends a lot on genre too. In dance music, for example, we talk about a “drop” instead of a bridge, preceded by a “break”, etc.
3. Common functions of the different sections
The definition and distinction between sections remain tentative, as well as the “rules” regarding the place and characteristics of each section.
I could tell you that the chorus is usually the punchiest, most energetic part of the song, combining unsurprising chords (I, IV, V) with and elaborate beat and simple melodies in a higher register, and that the purpose of the chorus is to invite everyone to join in and have fun (and take away a memory of excitement and communion).
I could tell you that the verses are usually in a low register with few melodic leaps and chords in one key.
I could tell you that the pre-chorus, if you have one, is a link between the low-energy verse and the high-energy chorus (for a good example, check out the “one, two, three, one, two, three, drink” section of Sia’s “Chandelier”).
I could tell you that the bridge is where you do all the crazy stuff harmony-wise, changing keys, throwing in special chords, etc. The bridge is usually where you illuminate the underbelly of your song musically, lyrically and emotionally.
(And where you give the listener a rest before the next chorus. They’re unlikely to remember the bridge anyway, it’s just an insider joke, your secret signature.)
I could tell you all of these things and you could point out a favourite song of yours which conforms to none of them and yet… works.
The truth is every song, every songwriter, and every listener is different.
The point here, once again, is to know the tools you can experiment with, so that you can apply (and bend) the “rules” to best suit your particular purpose.
4. Emotion and energy
So, as a final rule of thumb, I would suggest thinking of your song as an emotional and energy vehicle.
I’ve mentioned energy levels a number of times — picture their shape over the span of the song as a rising and falling wave (or as a rising wave that remains up?).
Imagine your song as a journey — you go out into the wild, things happen, you meet people, you learn things and finally you come home the richer and wiser for it.
It’s a nice image anyway.
Tomorrow, I’ll talk about 3 more guiding principles to help you think about your creations.
5. Today’s challenge
Today, you can go back to the 3 melodies, harmonies and beats you came up with during the first three days, and see if you can use them as different sections in one song, with possible tweaks of course.
In today’s video, I give you a concrete example of such little tweaks I made to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to make it more of a (modern pop song) “journey”.
Enjoy and see you tomorrow for the last day of the challenge!
