From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals

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The verse

The verse

From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals

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The verse

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- 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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