Song form

The overall structure of a piece, described by its sections, such as verse, chorus, bridge and instrumental, and the order in which they appear.

Song form is the map a player follows through a performance, and knowing it is what allows someone to busk a song they have never rehearsed. Common shapes include verse and chorus alternation, three-part song form with a contrasting middle section, and the thirty-two-bar form of many jazz standards. For a guitarist, form determines when to play a fill, when to hold back and where a solo fits, which is why arrangers talk about it more than about chord choices.

Example: A song that alternates two verses and choruses, then takes a bridge, then returns to the chorus, has an identifiable song form.

Song form

See also