How to write a song. Put your song into these song forms and write like a pro!
Cool! You made it. Once you get your story straight and simplified, you can plug it into a form that works for your song. Form is short for formula. It’s the way a song is structured and organized.
Grab my new Songwriting Blueprint to guide your song idea from start to finish.
The form consists of a few elements:
- The Verse - The verse is where we put the things we’ve learned. We use the verses to capture our idea, tell the story, and direct the listener through the other elements of the song.
- The Chorus -The chorus is the part you hook with. It’s where the lyrics and verses lead the listener to and payoff with a hopefully catchy, melodic, groovy hook. It’s the part of the song your listener will know even if they don’t know the words in the verses.
- The Pre-Hook - The pre hook comes before the chorus. This element sets up the song for the big payoff. The goal is to build tension that is released at the chorus
- The Bridge - The bridge is a break in the song usually towards the end. The bridge musically can lift up or twist the song. Lyrically it can be the place where the twist or change happens in the song. Either way, it’s a break from the rest of the song. It’s a great place to show your imagination and creativity in a tune.
Let’s look at a few song forms.
AAA - The AAA song form is a classic form used for many folk and country songs. This form has the title or hook in the first and last line. You can use this form to shorten a story song by compressing and blending the lines and title. These songs are usually 3-5 verses long. Think of “Walk the Line.” By Johnny Cash
AABA - This is a classic song form used mostly by songwriters. It’s used in all styles of music, especially country. The title/hook is usually in the first or last line. Think of “Yesterday” by The Beatles or “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel.
VERSE/CHORUS - Verse chorus form is recognized by chorus repetition and two or more verses to complete the story. These songs can be structured as follows;
A few thoughts on choosing song form.
- Song forms depend on the amount of lyric needed to complete the song
- Song forms depend on the song tempo. Ballads use less form uptempo numbers need room for the pre hook and bridge or lift.
- Set the tempo and number of lines in your song and lock into a form.
Grab the Songwriting Blueprint:
