There are two ways to look at form. The macro level, or looking at the song sections and how they flow together, is the most common way to look at form.

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          You can also look at form from a micro level, which simply means how individual ideas are formed and how they change or are manipulated within the sections of the song. In this article I will discussing the macro level.

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            Before we discuss creative ways to use form, we should first address the most common forms used in contemporary music and their components. I’m going to address both the lyrical side and the instrumental side because, when talking about songwriting, the lyrical side is always represented and if I simply address instruments, it feels incomplete. I will not be going past the basic definition for the lyrical section because 95% of songwriting courses discuss only lyrics, I see no point in doing so.

The most common pieces of a song are:

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            The Verse: From a lyrical perspective, this is the section that contains the details of the story. From an instrumental perspective, the verse in most songs tends to be more stable. If there’s no pre chorus in the song, the verse can appear a bit unstable.

*** When I refer to stable or unstable I’m talking about how much tension is in the piece or how relaxed it may feel.***

 

            The Pre Chorus: The section leading up to the chorus. This tends to be an unstable or dramatic section since we’re building tension which we will release in the chorus.

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            The Post Chorus: This particular section will sometimes repeat the main idea lyrically, or will include a refrain line of sorts. In the instrumental section, the post chorus is usually used to go back into the verse. This means that most of the instrumentation becomes more stable.

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            The Chorus: From a lyrical standpoint this is where the main song theme goes. From an instrumental perspective, the chorus can be either unstable or stable and typically the tension you wound up to in the pre chorus/verse will be released here. This is how you get a really, strong soaring chorus.

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            The Bridge: This section is used primarily as a way to add something new to the song. In most hit songs their are only one to three ideas. Variations are made of these ideas and that creates a full song. One of those three ideas is the bridge. It’s actually fairly common for a song to have only two sections; one is the main progression, a riff that is simply modified to extend over a chorus; a pre chorus and verse section; and the bridge, a second idea. In the instrumental section, the bridge is typically unstable.

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            Realize that there are no rules in songwriting, so these are generalizations, not definitions.

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The most common song forms are:
Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus
Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus Verse - Verse - Bridge -Verse

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            When you’re making a song you may stick to these song forms or deviate from them, it’s really up to you. If you’re writing a song specifically to make it a hit or have it played on the radio, its best that it follows one of the forms above. That being said, I usually take these basic forms as simple outlines or guidelines and I add a bunch of twists and turns to spice it up and make the song more fun. AKA being creative.

 

Interesting ways to mix up form:

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1) Interesting ways to use a pre-chorus

The normal way to use a pre-chorus would be to put it right after the verse before each chorus, as in the following:

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Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus - Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus

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But you can use it in many different ways depending on how the lyrics are written and the feel of the song. Here are some more interesting/less common ways to add in a pre-chorus:

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Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus

This from will make it seem like the songs picking up a bit more because you remove the pre chorus from the second verse so it gets to the chorus faster.

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Verse - Chorus - Verse - Pre-chorus - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus

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I’m particularly fond of this form—sneaking in a pre-chorus in one section can be a powerful form tool to catch the listener’s ear and surprise them. The pre chorus could also be arranged in many different spots.

 

2) Two verses in the beginning

Verse - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus

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            You could very easily have two verses together in the beginning of a song. Although this is not as common as a basic one-verse song, it’s still used fairly often. An example of this that comes to mind right off the bat would be “Here I go again by Whitesnake.

Verse - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Bridge - Chorus

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            This is a particularly interesting form move, and a cool one. It’s full of some twists and turns. Start with two verses and then simply add one verse and a bridge. The bridge almost acts as an interlude of sorts, to help transition back to the chorus. I heard this structure for the first time (or at least the first time I noticed it) in a country tune, “Unanswered Prayers” by Garth Brooks.

 

3) Instrumental sections: solos, interludes, intros and outros

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            Generally, there are no “instrument-only” sections in mainstream radio songs. If there are, they are pretty brief ( four to eight measures max) and are usually used in an intro or outro.

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        That being said, plenty of rock bands and even some country artists will leave room for an instrumental section. It can be used to give the listener a break, show them something new, move the song in a different direction, or change the mood. An interlude is a transition section.

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Here’s an interesting example of ways to use solos and interludes:

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Intro - Verse - Pre Chorus - Verse - Pre Chorus - Chorus - Interlude(miniature solo) - Pre- Chorus - Chorus - Outro Solo

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            There are a number of different parts in this song. I used three different instrumental sections: an intro, an interlude and an outro solo.

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            My favorite part of the structure of that song is the interlude - pre-chorus section. It’s a lot shorter than the traditional verse - pre-chorus section so the song feels like it’s picking up momentum.

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            So, remember, just because you may use one of the forms up above as your basic outline, doesn’t mean you can’t deviate from that structure. Be creative, have fun and if you feel the form needs to be changed to fit the song better, then go ahead and do it.

 

About the Author:

Chris Glyde is a songwriter, vocalist and guitar teacher always looking for a new way to spice things up. If you’re looking for fun guitar lessons in Rochester, give him a call.