The Anatomy Of A Song

What's a verse? Ok, it's a silly question, but... well, is it, though? As theorists, it's important to understand not just the form of something, but also its function, and that goes for song structure too. Why do we use verses? What's the point of a chorus? When should we use a bridge? What roles do they serve, and how do they help us make better art? It's a surprisingly difficult question to answer, but hey, we're gonna try.
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[@mortzcent797]

More song structure please.

[@12tone]

Will do! It's been on our list for a long time, but we kept getting distracted by other ideas. Glad we finally got a chance to put this one together, and I'm definitely planning to cover some other types of sections soon! (Although I don't know how soon, I can't promise I won't get distracted again...)

[@MisterAppleEsq]

Hasn't happened yet.

[@hilariofernandes5299]

oof

[@fardinfahim3478]

12tone any time now....

[@gerardmasmitjavalle5864]

waiting for this!!

[@oravlaful]

best thing i've done in the last week was finding your channel

[@12tone]

^_^

[@educostanzo]

It would be very interesting to see a deeper analysis of the other elements you've mentioned, intros, outros, breakdowns, interludes and so. It's those things you kinda know what they are but definitions sometimes give you a wider perspective. Thanks for this one!

[@12tone]

Thanks! Yeah, that's been sitting on my list for a while but I keep getting distracted by other things. I'll try to get to it soon, though!

[@ziomara873]

0

[@eduardoktg8683]

did he do it yet?

[@5adb0i]

@@12tone FOLLOWUP WHEN ????? Absolutely loved this, I think you should make a video for each type of section: Narrative/Verse Hook (including prechorus and post chorus) Bridges/Middle 8s/Solos/Breakdown/etc Intro/Outro/anything else not covered by the rest? Feel like it could be a nice short playlist on ya channel for beginning musicians/supplemental material for ppl formally studying theory

[@mimidhof2179]

Waouw man so cool to find such an interesting and complete content about song structure. Thank you mate.

[@ikemarkle6057]

Also, to make the final chorus more interesting is to start off slow then start it back up again with all the elements it had before or even add to it with backup voice overs. An example of this kind of structure is What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction.

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

My favorite way of shaking up a verse is making it sound like a bridge at the very beginning of it. For example, in Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much," the verse that starts out with "You're one of those guys who likes to shine his machine..." begins with a different melody and chord structure, and if you didn't listen to the next bar or so, you could've easily mislabeled the section as a bridge.

[@12tone]

Huh, neat! I hadn't really listened closely to that song before, but yeah, I see what you mean. That's really interesting, thanks!

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

Actually, I messed up. The chords *are* the same, but the way they're played certainly are different. The guitar gets really quiet, the bass completely drops out, and the only thing played on the drums is the cowbell. But yeah, the the melody and backup vocal harmony are different.

[@richvanek1363]

@@LimeGreenTeknii MORE COW BELL!🐄🔔

[@timgaul2256]

More deep dives on song structure would be great! I didn’t see that in 12 Tone on YT or Nebula. A few ideas: What a bridge does and how it evolved; the history and function of key changes in pop music and which key changes work. Keep’em comin’!

[@bashfullfill7423]

I appreciate your way of using your words in your video to describe your own informative video is indeed a bridge to yet another video.

[@JosephBanks20]

Wow I've never thought too deep into the roles the different parts of a song play. This video is so informative, i'm really glad I found it!

[@prod.kaycey7437]

Amazing video!!!! Very understanding and informational!!!

[@TheBoglodite]

Did he ever make a second one? This is super interesting.

[@eduardoktg8683]

did he do it yet?

[@-DILLIGAF]

Nice! Fun and easy to follow. Loved the art.

[@mimidhof2179]

You Rock!!!👍I've shared it with as many songwriter I know. This was excellent thank you.

[@gabinastudio1404]

i really like this fast explaining meaningful videos

[@wavediesel]

Thank you for the breakdown.

[@Wyattporter]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about if there’s other, undiscovered song structure techniques I could play with. I think what we have encompasses all the possibilities.

[@ruvimusics7442]

dude-YOUR A LIFE SAVIOR!!! like i searched millions of videos only to know about this lil things u jus explained,LITERALLY,every single videos ar like "okay so..write ur chorus and stuffs and blablabla..." tysmmmmmmmmmm for this video. im 12,and im trying to write a song.i did it tho,but idk how to make it AN ACTUALLY ACTUAL SONG with instrumentals an stuffs

[@breadmoneyarchival]

You should make a video on writing chord progressions for jazz and pop music. Maybe make a follow up video on writing chord progressions for classical music.

[@12tone]

Thanks, I'll add those to our list!

[@fen9328]

Great video. Big thanks!!

[@christianfrades2761]

Just found your channel, thank you very much!

[@electricmovement0779]

Great explanation thank you so much

[@simplecliche5833]

If anyone is having trouble following what he saying you can reduce the speed of the playback to 0.75 to follow a bit easier

[@tonyslewis]

love your videos too much, so much love, shared them with all of my friends who are in to music :) any chance of something on live arrangement of pop/r&b tracks? It's a style I love but I have very little idea of how to pull it off.... reharm is confusing :(

[@12tone]

Thanks! We've been working on a script about jazz reharmonization, but I hadn't thought to do one on pop/R&B. I'll add it to the list!

[@djjoeykmusic]

Great video Thank you so much!

[@IR088Y]

Thank you this video taught me about stuff I didn't even know of, only problem is it flies by like a jet on cocaine I have to keep scrolling back to catch what hes saying

[@superegobeats]

Informative and quick.. also, I just have to say, it's a trip seeing your handwriting look exactly like mine!

[@antonybonneto3446]

love it ! am in looooove with your cha-nnel

[@JoseGabriel-dd2up]

Thank you for part 1. Could you please do a follow up on interlude, turn around, etc?

[@QuikVidGuy]

When I get some cash I'm gonna drop some in your patreon so I can request a video on "what is progressive rock?" and I'm kinda hoping I can hear about the basic overall nature or one single detail or a super-long-by-modern-standards song (the most obvious one I can think of being 2112, though i don't know what would be best for a lesson)

[@william5159]

Brilliant!

[@haha-px5xp]

This is GOLD!!!

[@muyuhe603]

An amazing channel.

[@amrendrakumar3025]

Very nice 👍 and interesting also. Thanks dear.

[@kjtheproof5328]

Thank you!!!

[@henrymagill8325]

thanks man 🙏

[@dejesusrussell]

More about song structure, please! Also, could you break down some theory behind Radiohead?

[@SCOTT-4J]

Now that's food for thought !!!

[@ivywahiti]

Omg this is amazing

[@niinniv7798]

amazing video

[@andrewtatesbugatti3135]

I thought I was the only person who needed to learn this and I was super embarrassed because literally every one I know, knows every single part of a song It's refreshing to know I'm not alone

[@jaydenrogers8709]

Theres no shame in learning, only in staying ignorant. I dont know jack about song structure too tho lol

[@slg_sleepy]

this reminds me of don hertzfeld’s narration of Its such a beautiful day. love your narration

[@SKaYy94LmAo]

So like, when a song's final chorus (presumably after a bridge) changes pitch/key, what is that technique called?

[@12tone]

Good question! Generally, changing keys is called modulation. In the specific instance of changing for the last chorus, you usually use what's called a direct modulation (Or, less formally, a truck driver's key change.) where you don't prepare it, you just jump up suddenly to inject a little extra energy.

[@SKaYy94LmAo]

Very informative, thank you :)

[@themichaelcom]

LOVE IT

[@12tone]

Thanks!

[@kyerogers7838]

Thanks I'm trying to write my first song on guitar and wanted to know about structure

[@PdUnique]

Can you make the parts of music like intro, build-up, drop and so on

[@taranazare2633]

Thank you

[@alanissexy99]

This video was gas ⛽

[@dallasprice4680]

You the man

[@nutbunny10]

Please tell me what a breakdown is. I came across the concept of metal music breakdowns but did not understand what makes a breakdown a breakdown. I have been searching for days and nobody has explained to me what a breakdown is. It sounds like you might know. Help please...

[@xisotopex]

its analogous to a bridge

[@CHUNGAandNANOOK]

Damn your videos are good

[@12tone]

Thanks!

[@patrickfitzgerald9659]

I did a search for “elements song composition” in regard marketing and promotional strategy specifically and I clicked on this one first. You explained it in exactly the way I was interested in hearing about it, the visuals were extremely helpful, and I very much appreciate your catering to those of us with ‘short attention span theater’ disorder, lol. Bravo 👏 and clicked on your video first

[@timetravlr625]

Musical ! Magical

[@Songwriterbehindthecurtain]

What about breakdown and break intro and outro?

[@timeandattention3945]

I am actually using all these info to write a compelling book 😊

[@senza4591]

Thank

[@kaganrichard7850]

What would you call the part of "Black" by Pearl Jam where he sings "I know you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star..."? Could it still be considered a bridge even though it's the last words of the song?

[@savvasgavriilidis5393]

Thanks This actually helped me with making better songs in music maker jam. Btw my name is SsG

[@OriginalKingRichTv]

Super saiyan God

[@nicostruppich]

Can u do an anatomy of the Cure’s Pictures of You ? Thank u and nice video

[@senjecko]

This is pretty esoteric

[@xtianhdz]

hi...very interesting videos...but...is there any order?

[@12tone]

Thanks! Not really, no. We mostly just talk about whatever we find interesting that week. We do have a series called Building Blocks, though, which looks at music theory from the bottom up: kzbin.info/aero/PLMvVESrbjBWplAcg3pG0TesncGT7qvO06

[@user-ty1qw3yn9k]

i wish someone taught me song structures it’s hard learning myself

[@ahmadmusle7]

Very concise, and let's us know that there a bunch of other things not covered

[@metamentality9818]

subbed

[@Songwriterbehindthecurtain]

What does abstract mean?

[@cemoguz2786]

I wrote dissection analize and this video comes out after 3 4 organ dissection videos but I am just looking for some analizing black metal band dissection because. It is fucking awesome where dead angels lie.

[@Daddy53751]

Shows you how much you can get away with just by feel. My mother was a touring musician, so instead of playing little league and such like most kids, I had to learn to play music. (Against my will, early on) Drums, bass and guitar, were my early childhood, and I sure wish I’d payed closer attention. Been a musician for over 50 years now, and just tuning into this video to learn song structure!🤣

[@alternativeroute]

Is a bridge and a middle eight the same thing?

[@12tone]

Sort of. In my experience, "Middle 8" generally refers specifically to the bridge of a 32-bar AABA form, where the bridge serves a slightly different purpose than it does in more pop-oriented forms, but I've heard it used outside that context as well.

[@tarynlau]

can you compare this to a way a kpop song is written? there seems to be differences, but I can't pinpoint what or why.

[@erixenten1561]

Yes plesse

[@jayaflower]

your channel is way too underated...

[@Songwriterbehindthecurtain]

Song structure is cool 😎.

[@Songwriterbehindthecurtain]

I agree that the chorus is the abstract version of the story and while the verse is telling the actual story which verse 2 you continue the story and verse 1 you have the beginning of the story and while chorus is the abstract of the story.

[@TorqueBow]

This is basically the typical pop, rock, or metal song. There are artists that completely variate the song structures they use, per song. Rock bands like Time, The Valuator, Good Tiger, and Voices From The Fuselage do this. Metal bands like The Contortionist, Periphery, Dream Theater, and Chelsea Grin do this, as well. I think an interesting video would be the theory of unconventional or super weird song structures. Awesome video.

[@12tone]

True! This was a look at conventions, but of course those conventions are defined by popular styles and certainly aren't written in stone or anything. If I'd made this video in the Jazz age, for instance, it would've been all about the repeating 32-bar form and its sections, which are pretty different from modern techniques. I'll definitely look into some more unconventional structures, though!

[@isabellapoma2976]

I kept thinking about Queen watching this with Bohemian Rhapsody playing in the background. Roger: Psh amateurs. Brian: Maybe we should try that sometime. John: You're kidding right? Freddie: That's cute darling.

[@Lowered_Gadh]

how about REFRAIN & CODA?

[@beenaplumber8379]

Refrain: A repeated phrase, might serve as chorus, might be a familiar anchor the song returns to. Coda: End section of the song - the wrap-up. It's music that tells the listener we're ending this thing. That's how I learned it.

[@wiltree6504]

Well done. Now I can skip that expensive song writing school.

[@Abdecentauri]

So a common failure is to write one verse, copying it and than change the lyrics... but where is it copied or not variable if I change the lyrics?

[@guilherme6818]

It took me like 2 minutes to realize you were not writing an actual song in the background

[@RodrickColbert]

To valid everything mentioned here, I always like to point to the popular 70's disco song - Get off by foxxy - kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3OUmaWVZsSZbtE.

[@andeleon6838]

Your visuals got me confused, dunno where to look at 😵

[@billili5503]

Is this a common way other people take notes? Cause this is the best way I take notes in class lol

[@nicolevichan]

este canal es raro, a veces es basura pretenciosa, a veces es util

[@massana7771]

profe un video en spanish

[@jacobisrael661]

I’m still confused

[@DoubleE12]

:)

[@alyax9462]

hmmm

[@deathblackout1]

O he lefff handed

[@made0v0pium]

Hmm

[@miguelservetus9534]

Examples would help.

[@Fig_Faerie]

Algorithm Bump 🧚✨

[@yoshevhaaretz7094]

Why the jelly bears?

[@deep7nshu]

Mr. Parker? - T. S.

[@alcovelaptop8251]

what animal is this??? 0:53

[@FransLebin]

you hold a pen really weird, and I'm not talking about being lefty

[@apricity_cafe9633]

I hold it like the same way. People look at me weirdly when I write ;/

[@derpy9800]

So does this confirm Keith Richards is inimitable?

[@Abdecentauri]

I don't really get the point from verses

[@NayHero]

big bad stinky

[@plantcat6036]

"listeners are getting sick of your chorus and verses" on the contrary I often dislike some pop bridges because they break the theme or flow of the song for me!

[@OriginalKingRichTv]

I agree. it depends on the song, and feel

[@jacobisrael661]

Is there a songwriting for dummies out there?

[@7zmxney685]

WHO ELSE HERE FROM SCHOOL

[@imbusy4iam-uz8ck]

Sish