How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
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- AnthonyCeseri
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How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
I've always liked the concept of contrasting sections when writing songs, because it's a great way to make your chorus stand out, but it's cool to realize it's not a new concept. I think I learned about the idea as applied to the song "OVer the Rainbow" in a class with Steve Seskin.
The big sectional contrast that happens in that song happens in the bridge on the words “someday I wish upon a star…”
I think there are two main things contributing to the contrast happening between the verse and the bridge. The big one is note length. The verse notes (on the words “somewhere over the rainbow”) are long and drawn out. There are a lot of whole notes and half notes sung in the verses, while the bridge is much quicker. A lot of the bridge is eighth notes whipping back and forth in contrast to the drawn out notes of the verses.
A second contributor to the contrast between the two sections of this song is the vocal range used within in each section. Right off the bat, the first two notes sung in the song jump up a whole octave. She sings “Some-“ and then “-where” jumps up an entire octave. So the instant we hear her vocals in the beginning of the song, we know there’s some range to the verse. It happens within the first two notes. This sets the standard for the verse to have a lot of range in it.
But then when Garland sings the bridge, most of the notes in “someday I’ll wish upon a star…” are very close together in pitch. Most of them are only two or three half steps from each other. The notes in that section are tight, from a pitch standpoint, based on the standard set in the previous verse. It’s a stark contrast from the wide ranging vocals of the verses.
With this song being so old, it's cool to see that this concept of contratsing sections is not going anywhere any time soon.
The big sectional contrast that happens in that song happens in the bridge on the words “someday I wish upon a star…”
I think there are two main things contributing to the contrast happening between the verse and the bridge. The big one is note length. The verse notes (on the words “somewhere over the rainbow”) are long and drawn out. There are a lot of whole notes and half notes sung in the verses, while the bridge is much quicker. A lot of the bridge is eighth notes whipping back and forth in contrast to the drawn out notes of the verses.
A second contributor to the contrast between the two sections of this song is the vocal range used within in each section. Right off the bat, the first two notes sung in the song jump up a whole octave. She sings “Some-“ and then “-where” jumps up an entire octave. So the instant we hear her vocals in the beginning of the song, we know there’s some range to the verse. It happens within the first two notes. This sets the standard for the verse to have a lot of range in it.
But then when Garland sings the bridge, most of the notes in “someday I’ll wish upon a star…” are very close together in pitch. Most of them are only two or three half steps from each other. The notes in that section are tight, from a pitch standpoint, based on the standard set in the previous verse. It’s a stark contrast from the wide ranging vocals of the verses.
With this song being so old, it's cool to see that this concept of contratsing sections is not going anywhere any time soon.
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- AndyKotz
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
Yeah... but I HATE that song...
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- Casey H
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
Great stuff, Anthony.
Sectional contrast is so important... Usually when I write I try hard to put the chorus in higher notes than the verses, and/or change up the long vs. short notes, etc. And also do something to make the bridge stand out as different.
There are tons of great examples in hit songs over the years. I remember taking a class with one of the gurus and examples included "I Will Always Love You", the Whitney Houston hit (Those chorus long notes singing "I...") and the bridge in Goffin & King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (The big interval jump to "Tonight with words unspoken")...
Other tricks include doing an upscale run to show happiness or excitement (Chorus of "I'm A Believer") or downscale runs for the opposite emotion.
Casey
Sectional contrast is so important... Usually when I write I try hard to put the chorus in higher notes than the verses, and/or change up the long vs. short notes, etc. And also do something to make the bridge stand out as different.
There are tons of great examples in hit songs over the years. I remember taking a class with one of the gurus and examples included "I Will Always Love You", the Whitney Houston hit (Those chorus long notes singing "I...") and the bridge in Goffin & King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (The big interval jump to "Tonight with words unspoken")...
Other tricks include doing an upscale run to show happiness or excitement (Chorus of "I'm A Believer") or downscale runs for the opposite emotion.
Casey
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- AnthonyCeseri
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
Great points! I think vocal contrast is a HUGE one. It really helps.Casey H wrote:Great stuff, Anthony.
Sectional contrast is so important... Usually when I write I try hard to put the chorus in higher notes than the verses, and/or change up the long vs. short notes, etc. And also do something to make the bridge stand out as different.
There are tons of great examples in hit songs over the years. I remember taking a class with one of the gurus and examples included "I Will Always Love You", the Whitney Houston hit (Those chorus long notes singing "I...") and the bridge in Goffin & King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (The big interval jump to "Tonight with words unspoken")...
Other tricks include doing an upscale run to show happiness or excitement (Chorus of "I'm A Believer") or downscale runs for the opposite emotion.
Casey
Interesting point about upscale and downscale runs too...
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
I am LEARNING SO MUCH here reading and conversing with so many talented people. Feeling more and more blessed to be a member of Taxi.
Thanks for all of the information you guys are sharing. Wish I had enough skill to offer up advice haha. I am learning though. That is for sure.
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Thanks for all of the information you guys are sharing. Wish I had enough skill to offer up advice haha. I am learning though. That is for sure.
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
I believe the contrast is important, but we often say this without considering what it's a contrast to. We jump the scales, add extra guitars, make busier drums, extend the note values, add strings, double/harmony vocals ect. in order to intensify (energy), in contrast to the lower intensity intro and verse before it. We would also risk losing intrest without these dynamic changes, which means that low intensity sections is just as important to make a high intensity chorus stand out. So we need all the colors to create a rainbow, just arranged in an effective way..
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
All true... But I think it's important we don't lose sight of the pure songwriting, independent of production. That's where the great songwriters really stand out. If you just played their melodies with nothing else, you would still hear these contrasts. It's easy to forget to check our work and see if we have good contrast before rushing to apply arrangement and production.thesongcabinet wrote:I believe the contrast is important, but we often say this without considering what it's a contrast to. We jump the scales, add extra guitars, make busier drums, extend the note values, add strings, double/harmony vocals ect. in order to intensify (energy), in contrast to the lower intensity intro and verse before it. We would also risk losing intrest without these dynamic changes, which means that low intensity sections is just as important to make a high intensity chorus stand out. So we need all the colors to create a rainbow, just arranged in an effective way..
Of course, not every song will be a GREAT song, and a good song can be made better with production, especially if the goal is film/TV and not pitching for a #1 hit. But if the song isn't GREAT to begin with (with sectional contrast being a big factor there), all the production in the universe won't make it GREAT.
When we discuss songwriting as taught by Seskin, Braheny, Blume, Josefs, etc., we are talking independent of production.
Casey
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
Well said, Casey!Casey H wrote: All true... But I think it's important we don't lose sight of the pure songwriting, independent of production. That's where the great songwriters really stand out. If you just played their melodies with nothing else, you would still hear these contrasts. It's easy to forget to check our work and see if we have good contrast before rushing to apply arrangement and production.
Of course, not every song will be a GREAT song, and a good song can be made better with production, especially if the goal is film/TV and not pitching for a #1 hit. But if the song isn't GREAT to begin with (with sectional contrast being a big factor there), all the production in the universe won't make it GREAT.
When we discuss songwriting as taught by Seskin, Braheny, Blume, Josefs, etc., we are talking independent of production.
Casey
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- mojobone
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
When I audited Steve Seskin's class at the Taxi Road Rally, I had a really hard time stifling my incessant impulse to yell YESS!, BOO-YAH!, and HELLS, YEAH!, at nearly every turn. In other words, I think Steve's a righteous dude.
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Re: How to Write Choruses Your Listeners Want to Hear
Yes, I agree with Casey and Mojobone.
I have also been taught to write each song as if it is three songs in one, one the verse, the second is the chorus and the third song is the bridge. I have experimented and made them separate and then worked to make them flow together. Try this concept, it is really useful to make contrast. It gives a surprise element to the listener and keeps the song from being predictable. (imho)
That's (in my humble opinion).
Alicia
I have also been taught to write each song as if it is three songs in one, one the verse, the second is the chorus and the third song is the bridge. I have experimented and made them separate and then worked to make them flow together. Try this concept, it is really useful to make contrast. It gives a surprise element to the listener and keeps the song from being predictable. (imho)
That's (in my humble opinion).
Alicia
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