Unit 1-2: Form & Vocabulary

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Identify and define song sections in verse-chorus song forms, including the verse, chorus, bridge, pre-chorus, post-chorus, intro, and outro.
Diagram a song form using an audio annotation tool such as BriFormer or Audio Timeliner.
Describe what the function of each section of a song is and what auditory clues a listener can use to identify each of those sections.
Describe how 7th chords are used in popular music.
Demonstrate proficiency in spelling and identifying 7th chords in examples from the repertoire using lead sheet or Roman numeral notation.

Introduction to Form in Popular Music (Lavengood & Hughes, OMT)
- - Verse-Chorus Form (Lavengood & Hughes, OMT)
Verse and Chorus (Temperley, The Musical Language of Rock) - Read Section 8.3
Attributes of Song Sections (De Clercq)
Dominant 7th Chords and Other 7th Chords (Wilmoth, PopGrammar)
Song Structure (Chromatone) - Optional

BriFormer Intro
Brian Jarvis (15 mins)

Learn how to use the analytical tool BriFormer to do song form analysis with audio files and Youtube videos.

Every Type of Song Structure Explained
David Bennett (20 mins)

Song Sections & Descriptions
(Source: "Song Structure" on Renegade Producer.com)

Energy Levels of Different Song Sections in a Typical Pop Song
(Source: "Song Structure" on Renegade Producer.com)

Summary of Song Section Characteristics
(Source: Ed Bell, "Verse-Chorus Structure 101") [Image]

Brush up on your fundamentals using the links in the "Additional Practice" section below. Aim for speed and accuracy!
- - Continued work with Key Signatures and Triads
  - 7th chords: Dom7, Maj7, m7, º7, ø7

Verse-Chorus: What is verse-chorus song form? What is the basic structure of this form?
Song Sections: Define each of the following song sections: Verse, chorus, bridge, pre-chorus, post-chorus, outro, intro, and instrumental interlude.
- - Where does each typically occur in a song? How can you aurally differentiate between each? What makes them sound different? What is the relationship of each section to the lyrics?
  - Diagram a few possible song models that use these sections. (See the "Reference Aids" section above for ideas and guideance.)

Song Form Analysis: Select a few songs from the anthology page below. Work in groups or as a class. Listen to the song, then create a form analysis in BriFormer, labeling each of the song sections.

Verse-Chorus Forms: Navigate to the section on "Verse-Chorus form" for examples to use for listening and analysis.

Anthology: Song Form

Practice with Lead Sheet Notation
Get set up with BriFormer (see the "Watch" section above) and do a practice analysis

Assignment 1-2

Next Lesson: Extended Chord Notation

Listen to a Theory Podcast about bridges and two-chorus forms in pop music:

Elizabeth Newton & Franklin Bruno, “The Inside of the Tune: Analyzing the Bridge in Pop,” SMT-Pod, Episode 1.6 (February 17, 2022).
Jeremy Orosz, “Three’s a Crowd: Understanding the Rise of Two-Chorus Form in Recent Popular Music,” SMT-Pod, Episode 3.9 (March 21, 2024).

Or, check out some of the readings below or one of the videos to the right:

Adams, Kyle. "Musical Texture and Formal Instability in Post-Millennial Popular Music: Two Case Studies." Intégral 33 (2019): 33–46.
Covach, John. 2005. “Form in Rock Music: A Primer.” In Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis, edited by Deborah Stein, 65–76. New York: Oxford University Press.
De Clercq, Trevor Owen. "Roles [of sections in verse-chorus form]," Chapter 3 in Sections and Successions in Successful Songs: A Prototype Approach to Form in Rock Music, pp. 34–116. Ph.D Dissertation (University of Rochester, 2012).
Everett, Walter. "Forms: Phrases and Sections." In The Foundations of Rock: From 'Blue Suede Shoes' to 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.' Oxford University Press, 2008.
Nobile, Drew. 2022. “Teleology in Verse–Prechorus–Chorus Form, 1965–2020.” Music Theory Online 28 (3).
Summach, Jay. 2011. “The Structure, Function, and Genesis of the Prechorus.” Music Theory Online 17 (3). [OMT’s Reading Guide]
Temperley, David. "Form." In The Musical Language of Rock. Oxford (2018). (See especially, "Verse and Chorus" (pp. 158–166).
von Appen, Ralf. "Analyzing and Interpreting Song Forms," pp. 91– 106. In The Bloomsbury Handbook of Rock Music Research. Edited by Paul Carr and Allan Moore, 2020.

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