Chapter 11: Song Forms

The form of a song or tune refers to its structure and how that structure divides.

 

Chorus In jazz, the term chorus is not used to differentiate between verse and chorus as in a pop song. One chorus is the whole tune played through once. This chorus will have a set structure, usually subdivided into groups of eight bars. The total structure is its form.

Verse For our purposes, the term verse indicates a musical introduction leading to the chorus. This is found mostly in ballads.

AABA

Of all song forms, the most common is AABA, each letter representing eight bars.

Therefore AABA adds up to 32 bars.

A1 = 8 bars

A2 = 8 bars

B = 8 bars

A3 = 8 bars

Total = 32 bars

A1 contains the initial melody.

Its final bars will often contain a turnaround to prepare us for A2.

A2 is a repeat of this melody. However the final bars will usually alter, in order to signal a new key.

B states a new melody, usually in a different key.

This section is known as the bridge or middle 8.

A3 returns to the main melody and resolves.

AB

Songs such as Autumn Leaves, Gone With The Wind and There Will Never Be Another You follow a simpler structure.

A = 16 bars

B = 16 bars

Total = 32 bars

ABCD

More complex songs have distinct sections with differing lengths.

 

Here’s the structure of Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life.

A = 14 bars

B = 14 bars

C = 12 bars

D = 12 bars

Total = 52 bars