#96936 by ColorsFade
Fri Jan 15, 2010 8:28 pm
Fri Jan 15, 2010 8:28 pm
Chris4Blues wrote:When you lay out a song, is there a general rule you apply in terms of how many bars you commit to an intro, how many for the chorus, how many for the song, and where you place each? I'm struggling with composition in terms of general guidelines for structuring a song. I know rules are meant to be broken in music, but it seems there is a general approach.
I don't have any rules Chris. I let the length get defined by the riff.
For instance, one riff I in a song I wrote is pretty simple: E-C-E-D. But the strumming pattern of that riff dictates the length of it. One time through that riff wasn't enough for an obvious verse, so I decided to stick to the standard 4x through, based on 4/4 timing. However, as I was playing it through 4x, I found that I always ended it with an extended open C chord, that I played for the same amount of measures as the riff. The riff, incidentally, was four measures long.
After I sat back and listened to E-C-E-D 4x with a 4-measure C ending, I determined it was too long. So in the final rewrite, I play E-C-E-D 3c, and I end with the 4-measure C chord. Without lyrics written, it just sounds right. And so when it comes time to write lyrics for that, I'll work to fit them in there.
I know for a fact that Eddie Van Halen composes this way and he has often said that a song has to kick ass without vocals before he hands it over to the vocalist. So, in those terms, the song and the arrangement and how it feels should rock by itself. And I know Rush writes the same way. Geddy and Alex write all the music first, and Pert writes hoards of lyrics and hands them to Geddy, and then Geddy just takes the lyric piece he likes and fits them into the music where there is space.
So... I'd not worry about any hard and fast rules about how long a verse has to last, or a chorus, or whatever. I'd just go by feel. If it feels right, then it's right. The song has to be the king.