This article has been viewed 12,859 times. Soon enough, we’ll talk about the pieces that make up a Verse-Chorus Structure and look at the various ways you can fit them all together.But first, let’s start with a big idea – the simple game that every Verse-Chorus Structure plays in one way or another.Because here’s the thing: there’s a reason your starter is less exciting than your main course. The vocal melody can go along or greatly differ from the melody of the music. Like everything in this craft of songwriting, writing an effective chorus is a matter of studying your favorite songs and practicing. You may have already done this as you were thinking of your theme of the rap. You can thicken your sound during the choruses by adding more instruments or vocal harmonies. Since the chorus gets repeated so often throughout most songs, writing the chorus section can mean that over half of your song is already written. If you already have a chorus lyric, here’s how to begin setting the lyric to music. This seems simple enough, but I’ve had many occasions in the studio where no one can agree on what or where it is. These two elements are very important to a rap songs structure. Gimme! Writing a Great Chorus It’s happened to all of us: you go an entire day with the chorus of a song in your head, unable to make it go away. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 12,859 times. In the chorus you can try this by experimenting with backing vocals, special arrangements etc, but be careful and don't overdo things. If the chorus melody has a smooth flow, try a choppy verse with lots of words. See how different and contrast the chorus is from the verse. The chorus section might be labeled. Many recorded songs fade out during a final repetition of the chorus. The chorus typically occurs after a verse. Basically, it’s what comes right after the chorus, before the second set of verses start. For lyrics, use your song’s title/chorus to guide you. Another example is “All By Myself”, written and recorded by Eric Carmen. Which do You Write First: Lyrics or Music? Take a look at how... #2 Create an amazing melody. If it’s a song about a beautiful landscape, the chorus could describe the landscape. A typical song structure includes a verse, chorus, and bridge in the following arrangement: intro, verse — chorus — verse — chorus —bridge — chorus — outro. Creative Commons image of a painted heart by. This article has been viewed 12,859 times. Come up with a beat. The verses (read my article on verses here) give specific details or angles that ultimately lead or point to the chorus. The chorus is the focal point of the song and is usually what listeners remember the most. Gimme!" If you take your time and are thoughtful when writing your lyrics, you can write an amazing chorus that your fans will love. She has written hundreds of songs for guitar and piano, some of which are recorded and available on her Soundcloud or Youtube channel. Choruses are short — usually just one to eight lines long. How to Write a Song Chorus with a Killer Lyrical Hook – 17 Tips You Need to Know #1 Keep the lyrics concise. 4 Music Theory Techniques To Help You Write a Great Chorus 1. Keep your listener interested by writing music that contrasts the verse: change up the rhythm, change up the chord progression, shift into a different vocal register. If you want to create a catchy chorus, you’ll need to develop the music for your song first, then you can write lyrics to accompany the melodies you create. What's the REAL Difference Between a Poem and a Lyric? She has written hundreds of songs for guitar and piano, some of which are recorded and available on her Soundcloud or Youtube channel. When a chorus is just one or two lines long, it’s called a refrain. Different people have different methods of writing. When it comes to the songwriting process, sometimes that means increasing the instrumentation, and sometimes it means writing a melody that gets stuck in someone’s head. A song’s chorus will be more memorable if it’s emotionally moving. The Purpose of the Bridge A bridge in songwriting is a section that differs melodically, rhythmically, and lyrically from the rest of the song. Keep the chorus simple but meaningful so that … Simplicity is hard to master, but worth pursuing. This is known as an ABABCB structure, where A is the verse, B is the chorus and C is the bridge. Whether you write the chorus first or last, you need to understand what the function of the song chorus is. You want the … It comes in right before the chorus section and helps to build up in energy to it (the chorus is usually the highest level of energy in the song). And if you normally write Verse-Chorus songs, you should try the Verse-Verse-Bridge-Verse structure. Halle Payne has been writing songs since the age of eight. Three times repeated is the charm.". You can think of this as the heart of what your song is all about. The longer a lyric becomes, the greater the potential for confusion. The chorus is the big payoff and climax of the song. When writing with an A-A-A song structure, which is just a bunch of verses stacked onto each other, it helps to use a tagline-style refrain at the end of each verse. Now I want to talk about writing a Post-Chorus. You listen to the song over and over again, you listen to other songs to get it out of your head, but try as you might that tune is stubbornly stuck in your brain for good. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. In some songs, the chorus is a complete section in itself. The chorus is where the verses are given context and where they are all tied together even if they don’t seem to relate to each other. As songwriters we can sometimes get caught up in the big elaborate vision we have... 2. If your song’s about heartbreak, the chorus lyric should say something about heartbreak. There’s a reason we have Advent. Before that happens though you need some solid songwriting tips to learn how to write a chorus. John Mark McMillan’s How He Loves is a great example. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The pre-chorus is the musical bit between the verse and chorus. Learning how to write a chorus is real simple. For example, Justin Bieber’s song “Baby” goes like, “And I was like baby, baby, baby oh/Like baby, baby, baby no/Like baby, baby, baby oh/I thought you'd always be mine (mine).”, For instance, “Shake it Out” by Florence + the Machine goes, “Shake it out, shake it out/Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa/Shake it out, shake it out,/Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa/And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back/So shake him off, oh whoa.”, Another example of a simple chorus is Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” which goes like, “Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's/Got me looking so crazy right now (in love)/Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch/Got me looking so crazy right now (your touch)...”. Repeating the title will also help people... 2. Repeat. Rule 2: a chorus should contain elements of the rest of the song There is an art to write a great chorus with great hooks. There’s a reason we have foreplay.Verse-Chorus struc… Expectation and anticipation is something every great chorus harnesses. These songwriting tips aims to make sure every song you write from here on out has that ability, and you understand the fine points around its success. Writing the Lyrics 1. Halle Payne, Singer/Songwriter, adds: "This can be a phrase, a word, or even meaningless sounds! As a section distinct from the verses, however, choruses tend to be shorter in length than verses (with extreme disparities displayed in hip-hop), and melodically, they tend to feature higher pitches than preceding verses. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Just think about how effective Queens's 'We Are the Champions' and 'We Will Rock You' are as sing-along… Whatever style they choose, encourage them to be extremely detailed and descriptive. Like everything in this craft of songwriting, writing an effective chorus is a matter of studying your favorite songs and practicing. A: For writing a verse based on a chorus, think “contrast.” If the chorus is in a high note range, try a verse melody in a low note range. You could also call this a hook. by ABBA. If not, listen closely for a section that contains the song’s title and reappears several times throughout the song. So in general you could say the secret to write a catchy chorus is to make it sound logical. How can you write a song that your listener will want to hear again and again? It’s not always used in rap songs or hip-hop music, but recently it’s become more popular. Popular chord progressions include G – D – Em – C, G – Em – C – D, G – D – Em – Bm – C – G – C – D, and D – C – G – D. For instance, the left-most key in a piano is a C note but the 8th key from the left-most key is also a C in a higher octave. But when it comes to describing the main structural qualities of a pre-chorus melody, you might get a lot of blank stares, even from songwriters who write good pre-chorus melodies. For example, if the song is about the pain you feel after a breakup, the chorus should include something about your emotional state. Write in a simple 4/4 time. Try writing a simple verse (such as four or six lines) moving into a chorus with lots of repetition. Take some inspiration from famous reggae artists, like Bob Marley. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/47\/Write-a-Chorus-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Write-a-Chorus-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/47\/Write-a-Chorus-Step-1.jpg\/aid10598604-v4-728px-Write-a-Chorus-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"