Song Structure

Ever noticed how some people are able to just know when a song is about to change – and they often know what the change will be?! Well most songs follow a common formula. This may seem quite obvious, but I am constantly amazed at how many young AND older students don’t fully understand Song Structure!

Intro

This is the introduction, much like that of a story or movie. Some songs have a very short intro and may even use the chorus as an intro (I’ll explain chorus later).

Verse

The verse is a section that repeats throughout the song, though the lyrics (words) keep on changing. The music from one verse to another should only have minor changes and the chord progression should remain the same.

Prechorus

The job of the prechorus is to build up from the verse and lead you into the chorus. Sometimes the music will be completely different to the verse, but it can also just have the same music but different lyrics (and usually a different vocal melody).

Chorus

This is (usually) the main part to a song. It should be catchy and often contains the “hook”. This is simply a memorable part of the song that gets you “hooked” on it.

Bridge

This is just a part of the song that is somehow different from the rest. It could be an instrumental, guitar solo, different chords, different lyrics or many other things. It just needs to have a change in it, which breaks up the song.

Outro

I like to call this the “outroduction” (ok, a little lame, I know). It’s just the ending of the song, which is often the chorus but with more layers of instruments.

How are these ordered?

There is no “correct” way to structure a song, but below are some of the most common types. Keep in mind that different genres will have common traits among them.

Example 1:

• Intro
• Verse
• Prechorus
• Chorus
• Verse
• Prechorus
• Chorus
• Bridge
• Chorus

Example 2:

• Chorus
• Verse
• Chorus
• Verse
• Chorus
• Bridge
• Chorus

So what next? Whenever you hear a song, try identifying which part of the song is playing and also what’s coming up next. Questions? Contact us!