From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals
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The verse
From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals
The verse
- The role of the verse in popular song has changed greatly over the years. In today's song, the verse is the rough equivalent to the poetic stanza, serving a narrative storytelling function. Traditionally though, the verse was the main component of the strophic or verse-repeating songs of the 19th century. The first half of the 20th century marked a shift in the function of the verse. The music of the theater rose to prominence, a collection of songs known as the "Great American Songbook." Here, the verse served the dramatic role of being a transitional section, leading us from dialogue and action and into the song. In this style of music, the verse function is more of an intro, and typically had a structure free of meter, mimicking the rhythms of speech. So here's an example of maybe how a verse would go in a song from the "Great American Songbook." You'd have chords, (gentle piano music) you'd have the singer…
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Contents
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The importance of song form2m 34s
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Beats, bars, and phrases5m 54s
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The elements of song form1m 2s
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The intro48s
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The verse2m 6s
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The chorus1m 23s
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The hook1m 7s
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The refrain1m
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The bridge or middle 845s
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The pre-chorus44s
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Familiar pop song forms50s
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Verse, chorus, and bridge forms1m 19s
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Simple verse form2m 2s
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Verse without chorus form1m 18s
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AABA 32-bar form1m 24s
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Through-composed song forms1m 26s
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Looking at a song's form5m 53s
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