The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Part 3:
Tunes
146
Parts of a Song
When you’re writing popular music, there are accepted parts of a piece of
music that you have to work with. Not that you have to use each song part in
each and every song you write; these parts are more like building blocks you
can use (at your discretion) to construct your own individual piece of music.
In popular music, most any piece of music is typically called a song. In other
types of music, such as classical music, the word “song” has more specific conno-
tations regarding length and form and use of instruments and voices. To be more
universal, you could use the word 
composition,
or (less formally) the words 
piece
or
tune.
Since this book, however, deals primarily with popular music, we’ll con-
tinue to use the word song—as long as you realize that we’re talking about any
formal musical composition, not just something played by four guys with guitars.
Note
Introduction
The introduction, or intro, to a piece is typically some sort of instrumental
lead-in. The introduction can be of any length, and doesn’t even need to exist—
a song can start cold on the first note of the first verse. The introduction may
include a theme based on the song’s main melody, played by one of the instru-
ments; or maybe just a chord progression from either the verse or the chorus.
In any case, the introduction is used to set up the first verse of the song, and
then is quickly forgotten.
Verse
The verse is the first main melody of the piece. It’s an important melody, and
often is repeated several times throughout the course of the song.
Harmonically, the melody might end on the tonic chord (I), or it might end on
the dominant (V), creating a tension that is resolved when you proceed to the
chorus.
If your song has words, each instance of the verse typically has a different set of
lyrics. The lyrics to the first verse are sometimes repeated in the final verse. In
all cases, the verse should relate to and lead into the song’s chorus.
Chorus
The chorus is the second main melody of the song, and the emotional high
point of the piece. The chorus should contain the main melodic theme, as well
as any hook you might include to grab the listener. The hook can be in the
melody, chords, rhythm, or lyric—something unique and memorable that sets
this song apart from all others. Choruses are often shorter than verses, often
lasting just four or eight measures.

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Chapter 11:
Phrases and Form
147
Bridge
The bridge is kind of a break in the middle of the piece. Most bridges sound
completely different from the verse and chorus, and are often based on a differ-
ent harmonic structure. For example, a bridge might be based around the IV
chord instead of the I chord.
Bridges typically are short—only about eight measures. (That’s why a bridge is
sometimes called the “middle eight” of a song.)
Instrumental Solo
If you’re writing a song with lyrics, you might want to give the singer (and the
audience) a break by inserting an instrumental section after the chorus or bridge.
This section should probably be based on the chords of the verse, or maybe the
verse and chorus combined. When the instrumentalist is done soloing, you
return to either the verse or the chorus and pick up the lyric where you left off.
This section is relevant only if you’re writing a song with lyrics; otherwise the
entire song is instrumental!
Ending
The ending isn’t necessarily a separate section of the song. Sometimes you end
the song after the last chorus; either by stopping on the I chord or (if you’re in
a recording studio) fading out the volume. More sophisticated songs have unique
ending sections tacked on to the end of the song, which typically use some sort
of cadence or 
turnaround
(explained in Chapter 16). You might even want the
ending to mirror the song’s intro, or otherwise reflect the melodic or harmonic
nature of the piece.
Putting It All Together
Most popular and jazz music is based on eight-measure phrases. Your verse
might be one eight-measure phrase; your chorus, another. We keep track of the
different parts of a song by assigning them letters—which shouldn’t be confused
with the letters we used to label the notes in a scale. (These letters have nothing
to do with individual notes or pitches.)
The very first eight-measure phrase in your song—which is typically the first
verse—is labeled “A.” If the verse is repeated anywhere in the song, it retains its
“A” labeling.
The second eight-measure phrase—typically the chorus—is labeled “B.” If the
chorus repeats later in the song, the repeated chorus is still labeled “B.”
The third eight-measure phrase—the bridge, if you have one—is labeled “C.”
Additional phrases build on this lettering scheme.
An extended chorus played
during the fadeout of a
song is called the 
out
chorus.
Note
The eight-measure phrase
rule isn’t hard and fast,
although the concept of
being divisible by eight is
somewhat rigidly fol-
lowed. This means that, in
addition to the standard
eight-measure phrases, you
can also have 16- and
32-bar phrases, both of
which are divisible by 8.
(Although if a phrase gets
to be 32 bars long, it’s
probably more of a section
than a phrase, if you want
to be technical about it.)
Note

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