Song Structure

Song Structure

This is my second blog on the craft of songwriting. As I mentioned in the first blog, a major reason I'm writing this blog is to increasing my skill in writing songs. And, I hope you get some new ideas too.

This blog addresses song structure. Before I get into this topic, I wanted to briefly talk about songwriting "rules". Much of the information I will give in this series on songwriting are time honored guidelines for writing good songs...songwriting rules so to speak. It's important to know what techniques have been successful for songwriters over many years. But, knowing the "rules" will allow you to break the rules when it makes sense. One of my rules is "it's good to break a songwriting rule when breaking the rule makes a better song."

I should also give a disclaimer concerning genre and songwriting. This discussion on song structure may or may not apply to styles of music of which I know little or nothing about such as jazz, hip hip, and the like. What I'm addressing are styles such as folk, country, Americana, some pop, and probably some others styles.

Now onto song structure. A song structure is the skeleton of a song. It is all the elements that make up a song. The major elements of a song structure include verses, chorus, bridge. Minor elements include pre-chorus, tag, instrumental breaks. And there may be more that I don't know about. It is important to think about song structure for a new song you are writing. An informed decision about song structure is important as opposed to get letting it come out the way it comes out.

How do you decide what song structure you should use for a particular song? One factor is the genre of the song. A "folky" story song can get away with the Verse - Verse - Verse structure (see below), but usually is a poor choice for a contemporary country song. There are exceptions (remember breaking the rules). I'm a big believer in the importance of entertaining you audience, so thinking about who your audience is, I think, a very important consideration. One more thing to think about...be aware of ruts you get into. It's easy to use the same structure over and over again because you get into particular habits. I have a tendency to do that and have to be aware of my tendencies.

Ok, now onto to the major specific song structures.

1. Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus (VC)
2. Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus (VCB)
3. Verse - Verse - Bridge - Verse (VB)
4. Verse - Verse - Verse (VVV)

There can be variations on these structure if it works for the song. For example, I've written several songs that starts off with the chorus.

Before I talk about each of these different elements, let me comment on the purpose of having a song structure. In my mind, you choose a particular song structure because it keeps your audience (even if you are the only member of the audience) interested in the song. It provides variety in the song and releases for the audience. This is one reason why the VVV style is difficult to use because it can become boring...the same thing all over again. But, it will work in certain situations. You just have to know when you can use the VVV structure.

Let's take a look at the major elements of a songs.

The verse details the plot of the song, introduces the characters, and paints a picture of what your trying to say in the song. Each verse gives new information and does not rehash what you have already said in previous verses. The verse also leads to the chorus (unless you use a pre-chorus in the song...see below).

The chorus summarizes your main point of the song. It almost always includes the title of the song (again, every once in a blue moon you can break this rule. I wrote a song called Please Buy My CD. The title is no where in the song, let alone in the chorus. It works because it gets a laugh from the audience when I introduce the song. Remember, I'm big on entertaining the audience.) The chorus highlights the hook of your song, if you have a hook, and the hook is usually the title of the song. From a melody standpoint, the chorus has a different melody than either the verse or the bridge, and it tends to be the part of the song that the audience recognizes and can remember ("I can't get that tune out of my head...it's driving me crazy"). Also, the chorus does not add new information to the story line...that's the purpose of the verse. And usually, the chorus is the same (lyrics and melody) every time around. One exception to this is that sometimes you may want to change some of the words in the chorus the last time the chorus is heard, if changing some of the word brings the song home, so to speak.

The bridge is used to depart from the verse-chorus repetition and provide a release for the audience. The melody is different, it usually has fewer measures, and the lyrics look at the subject from a different vantage point. A simple example: Let's say the song is about how much your dog means to you. The bridge might talk about how you would feel if the dog was no longer around. The bridge adds a new dimension to the song. The bridge leads back to the chorus or sometimes to another verse.

A pre-chorus is used sometimes. A pre-chorus is a line or two between the verse and chorus which sets a big lead into the chorus. It says "Here comes the chorus, get ready". It really let's you know that the chorus is next. It's used for effect.

Three more elements than can function as part of the song structure:

An instrumental break will also help to provide a release for the audience. This is especially true in VVV songs. It breaks up a song that just has verses. An example would be Phil Och's song "When I'm Gone". The song has seven verses and repeats the first verse. Phil put an instrumental near the middle of the song, which helped to break it up. Another example if Alan Jackson's song Remember When. In a song that has verses and a chorus, and maybe a bridge, an instrumental can be used to create even more variety in a song.

A refrain is a line or two that repeats throughout a song. It sort of functions as a chorus, and is good for a VVV song or a VVBV song.

A tag is a line at the end of a song which usually repeats the last line, but not always. The purpose of the tag is to put an explanation point at the end of the song.

Again, all of this is to help keep the audience focused on the song and not zone out and think about something else.

Here is some homework: Look at some of your songs and identify all the elements, and see if a different structure would make the song more interesting. Also, listen to songs your favorite artist and identify the structure of these songs.

Resource Tip 2: Last time I mentioned Jason Blume's book Six Steps to Songwriting Success. Another book I like is 101 Songwriting Wrongs and How To Right Them by Pat and Pete Luboff. One thing I like about this book is that by default the chapters are about 2 pages long and you just look at the Table of Contents and find something you'd like to learn about and go directly to that subject.

Ok, go write a song!!!

Songwriting Lesson 1
By Ray Naylor


One of the best ways to improve on a skill is to teach the skill. I’ve been songwriting since 1977, and there is still a lot I need to learn. So, this blog will talk about the craft of songwriting. And, please share you ideas with me. I’ll try to include the best ideas in this blog.

A Song Begins With An Idea

I always like say that it’s easy to write a bad song, but it’s hard to write a good song. A good song starts with a good idea. A good idea, it seems to me, is a subject that most people can relate to in someway, touches an emotion on some level, and is framed in a way that is bigger than “run of the mill” treatment of the subject. Without a good idea, a song is little more than a “Wikipedia” entry.

This lesson addresses some ways to come up with a good idea for a song. I believe that a good idea, more than often than not, comes from our sub-conscious. Some people say that their songs come from some unseen force. I don’t think that’s true, but who am I to question someone’s spiritual beliefs. What I want to present are some techniques that you can use to stir the pot within you and bring to the surface unseen gems.

Sometimes a good idea just “pops” into our head. There is no way to make this happens, it just happens. When that happens, we rejoice because it was so easy. But, it’s also true that a lot of mediocre ideas “pop” into our head. When we just use ideas that come easily, we are at risk of writing songs that do not tap into our creativity.

Stream of Consciousness: I learned this method by attending a Song Camp several years ago sponsored by The Nashville Songwriter’s Association International (NSAI). Basically, you take a piece of paper, and begin to write anything that comes to you. It doesn’t have to make sense, you don’t really think about as you write, and you don’t self edit while you are in the process of writing. It’s most important to set a time limit for writing, and it’s also very important to not stop writing until the time is up. When starting this process, you should start with a short time span...maybe 5 minutes. As you become more skilled at this technique, you increase the time. After you finish the writing, you read what you wrote, and see if any ideas pop out to you. It might be a phrase, a word, or it might lead you to think of something else that you didn’t write. You will know when you find something that’s worth your investment to make a song out of the idea. If you are lucky, you will find a couple of ideas. It’s also true that you might not find anything that “floats your boat”. In that case, you try again next songwriting session. I think this technique works the best for people that are comfortable with working without any boundaries.

Twenty Answers: I got this technique from either a motivational tape or a book. I can’t remember. Basically, you take a piece of paper and at the top write a question that you want to answer. It could be as general as “What are some ideas for my next song?” or if you have a general subject and need to flesh it out the question might be “What are some song ideas for a song about falling in love again with a long lost girlfriend”. It could be anything. After you have the question, you write the number 1 through 20 down the left side of the page. Then you make a promise to yourself that you will sit down and come up with 20 answers, and you will not get up from the chair until you have all 20. Just like in the “stream of consciousness” technique, you write what comes to mind without editing or critical thought. It’s basically brainstorming with yourself. What you will find is this... the first 5 answers come easily...because they tend to come from your conscious mind. Most people when they try to think of ideas, stop here. But, they miss all the good stuff that in farther down within them. The next 5 are a little harder, but you get them fairly fast. When you start looking for answers 11-15, it starts to really slow down. You begin to feel stumped, but you do get to #15. By this point you might feel, “I’ll never get the last 5...I’ve run out of ideas.” This is why it’s important to promise to yourself not to get up until you reach #20. Keep at it, and some of the best ideas will be in the last five answers, ones you sweated to find. My belief is that these last answers come from deep within you. I’ve used this a lot, not just for songwriting, but to help me figure out other things in life. This technique works the best for me because I need a little structure to help me think in a non-structured way (yikes, what does that mean).

Mind Mapping: This is another self braining storming technique. I’m writing this from memory, but I think this is pretty much how it goes. In the center of the paper you write what your searching for... again it could be general: “Song ideas” or more focused: “A song about my truck breaking down on the way to the Square Dance, and how it caused me to become an alcoholic”. Anyway, what ever it is, write it in the middle, and put a circle around it. Start to free associate and when you get your first thought, draw a line from the circle in the center, and at the end of the line draw another circle and within that circle write you new thought. If your next thought relates to your new circle, then draw a line from the new circle and at the end of the line draw another circle and in that circle write your new thought. If you have a brand new thought, then have that be written in directly off the original center circle. In other words, you are creating trees with branches. This is hard to explain in words, so here is a little sketch to give you the basic idea.





You get the idea. You paper should be totally covered with circles and lines. You might want to use paper larger than 8 1/2 by 11. Again, when you’re done you might find something there to spark a new song.

To Sum Up: I’m sure there are other similar ways to tap deep within you to come up with great ideas to help you create great songs. Let me know of any methods you use, and I’ll print the best.
This Blog’s Resource Tip: My favorite book on song writing is Jason Blume’s 6 Steps to Songwriting Success. It’s well worth the small investment to own this book.

Till Next Time....Ray Naylor (raysings60@comcast.net)