The song structure may not be the first thing you think about when you begin writing. You most likely work on the verse or chorus, or maybe you have a superb riff that you want to expand into a song.
So you get that down and then you begin to think about the other parts - the intro, how many verses, middle eight, do you need an instrumental, etc.
A few of the best rock music genres have a fairly rigid format, others are more flexible, and you need to know where you'll be able to bend the rules and why you may not want to do so in order to make your song stick out from the others. Let's look at the sections you'll find in most songs along with the part they play in song development.
Intro - Yes, this leads you into the song. It could possibly be two, four or eight bars long or longer.
Verse - This is the preamble to the chorus. It sets the picture, certainly lyrically, and as the verses progress they often tell a story or recount episodes from a situation, although that is by no means necessary. They are typically eight or sixteen bars long.
Chorus - This the part everyone remembers, whistles and sings along to. It should be the strongest component of the song and generally contains the hook. It's typically eight or sixteen bars in length.
Middle eight - As a song progresses, there's a danger of boredom for the audience. The middle eight offers them a break and typically comes after a few verses and choruses. Some people think of it as an alternative verse and that's one way to look at it.
Bridge - Lots of men and women use the terms 'middle eight' and 'bridge' synonymously. However, among people who prefer to note the difference, a bridge is a short section used to bridge the gap between verse and chorus.
It might only be two or four bars long and it's frequently employed when the verse and chorus are so distinctive from each other that a 'joining' phrase helps bring them together.
Instrumental - This is portion of the song without any vocals.
Breakdown/Break - This phrase has been high jacked from tunes from the early 1900s when it was common to either to reduce the instrumentation or stop it altogether so a tap dancer could strut his stuff.
Outro/Ending - Once upon a time, songs had definite endings, but the mid 1950s heralded in the era of the fade-out and composers thought they would never have to write an ending again.
Hook - The hook isn't a song part as such. Rather it's the term used to describe the portion of the song that men and women remember and sing.
Listen to songs in the style you are writing in by listening to online music rock stations or you can search the web for some free rock sheet music.
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