146 Par t 3:Tunes
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
ortune.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.NoteIntroduction
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.