The main parts to a song are the INTRO, VERSE, PRE-CHORUS, CHORUS, BRIDGE and OUTRO. Each part has a job to do and when used correctly will give you a coherent song. Let's look at each part of a song in more detail.
INTRO
The intro is the start of the song and its main job is to get the listeners attention and to make them want to hear more. The perfect length for an intro is 4 - 8 bars; not too long that you lose your listeners attention and not too short that you can't get your musical idea across.
Songwriters use many different methods when writing intros. Some intros might just have 8 bars of a funky drum beat, others might start off with the chorus of the song or even a guitar solo. It's all up to the songwriters discretion.
VERSE
The main goal of the verse is to express a message or tell a story. The harmony (chord progression) of each verse tends to be the same while lyrically it changes. This is because as your song progress' so does your story. The amount of verses you use in your song depends upon the song form you are using but generally 2 - 3 verses is the norm. The verse also tends to be quitter/softer compared to the chorus as this gives your chorus more punch when it kicks in.
PRE-CHORUS
The pre-chorus is not always used as it is not always needed. How a really good pre-chorus should work is that it starts a build up to your chorus, building anticipation until the release which the chorus provides. A pre-chorus is usually kept short 2 - 4 bars.
CHORUS
The most important part of any song is the chorus. This is the part of the song that people remember and hum along to for days (well if you write a really catchy chorus that is!). The chorus conveys the main message of a song and should contain the title of your song and a hook.
The chorus of a song should be the same each time it is repeated as this helps drive home your message to the listeners and also makes it easier to remember.
BRIDGE
In order to break up a the monotony of a song a lot of songwriters use what is called a bridge. The main purpose of a bridge is to add contrast and it does this by introducing a new chord progression or an instrumental passage of some sort. Usually the bridge lasts no longer than 8 bars.
OUTRO
At the end of a song you will find the outro. This can be a number of things depending on how a songwriter wants to end their song but commonly used practices are; big powerful chorus with added instruments and vocal ad lib, sudden stop (i.e. all instruments end at the same time on the beat) or the fade out, where the song just gradually tapers off into nothing.
Try It For Yourself
The best way to learn the different parts of a song and how their used is to listen to the radio and do the following:
INTRO
The intro is the start of the song and its main job is to get the listeners attention and to make them want to hear more. The perfect length for an intro is 4 - 8 bars; not too long that you lose your listeners attention and not too short that you can't get your musical idea across.
Songwriters use many different methods when writing intros. Some intros might just have 8 bars of a funky drum beat, others might start off with the chorus of the song or even a guitar solo. It's all up to the songwriters discretion.
VERSE
The main goal of the verse is to express a message or tell a story. The harmony (chord progression) of each verse tends to be the same while lyrically it changes. This is because as your song progress' so does your story. The amount of verses you use in your song depends upon the song form you are using but generally 2 - 3 verses is the norm. The verse also tends to be quitter/softer compared to the chorus as this gives your chorus more punch when it kicks in.
PRE-CHORUS
The pre-chorus is not always used as it is not always needed. How a really good pre-chorus should work is that it starts a build up to your chorus, building anticipation until the release which the chorus provides. A pre-chorus is usually kept short 2 - 4 bars.
CHORUS
The most important part of any song is the chorus. This is the part of the song that people remember and hum along to for days (well if you write a really catchy chorus that is!). The chorus conveys the main message of a song and should contain the title of your song and a hook.
The chorus of a song should be the same each time it is repeated as this helps drive home your message to the listeners and also makes it easier to remember.
BRIDGE
In order to break up a the monotony of a song a lot of songwriters use what is called a bridge. The main purpose of a bridge is to add contrast and it does this by introducing a new chord progression or an instrumental passage of some sort. Usually the bridge lasts no longer than 8 bars.
OUTRO
At the end of a song you will find the outro. This can be a number of things depending on how a songwriter wants to end their song but commonly used practices are; big powerful chorus with added instruments and vocal ad lib, sudden stop (i.e. all instruments end at the same time on the beat) or the fade out, where the song just gradually tapers off into nothing.
Try It For Yourself
The best way to learn the different parts of a song and how their used is to listen to the radio and do the following:
- Write down the different sections you hear?
- How many bars does each section last?
- Does each song have a bridge or pre-chorus?
- When it comes to the different parts of a song, which stands out most to you?
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