Verse Chorus Form

Posted: October 21, 2013 | Author: supermagicmusic007 | Filed under: Songwriting Tips | Tags: Holy Spirit by Jesus Culture, songwriting, The chorus is the high point, Verse Chorus Form |Leave a comment

The Verse Chorus Form has been part of songwriting since the 1800’s and it’s more popular now than ever.

A good example of this form at work in today’s music is Holy Spirit by Jesus Culture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBifjXFA-W4

As you see the verses usually have the same number of lines, the lines are of the same length, while the words are dissimilar to each other. Each verse moves the song forward with new information.

But the chorus that appears after each verse or two typically is an exact repeat of the original chorus. In this case at 1:21 the first chorus begins with “Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here…” and continues on for a total of four lines. After a brief musical Interlude the verse comes in at 2:00 with “I’ve tasted and seen…”

So the form of a simple verse chorus song is:

Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus

To make it more interesting you can double up some sections: Verse, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Chorus

The chorus is the high point both musically and lyrically. It sums up the point and calls attention to itself. It should be distinct from the verse and that can be achieved by altering the note length.

A Bridge section that’s dissimilar to both chorus and verse can also be used.

Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Verse, Chorus

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