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Song structure

The parts of a song and the order they go in, in bars and seconds. Pick a style to see its song map, then open it in the free editor with a marker at each section.

PopRapEDMHouseRockMetalR&BCountry

The basic song structure

Most songs today go verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, with a short intro and outro and often a pre-chorus before each chorus. As a song map at 110 BPM, that is 72 bars, 2:37:

The basic song structure: each section, its bars and where it starts
SectionBarsStarts
IntroOpens the song and sets its tempo, key and mood.40:00bar 1
Verse 1Tells the story: new words each time over the same music.80:09bar 5
Pre-chorusBuilds from the verse toward the chorus.40:26bar 13
ChorusThe same words each time: the song’s main idea and biggest part.80:35bar 17
Verse 2Tells the story: new words each time over the same music.80:52bar 25
Pre-chorus 2Builds from the verse toward the chorus.41:10bar 33
Chorus 2The same words each time: the song’s main idea and biggest part.81:19bar 37
BridgeComes once, late on, with new chords and words, before the last chorus.81:36bar 45
Final chorusThe same words each time: the song’s main idea and biggest part.161:53bar 53
OutroEnds the song, winding it down.42:28bar 69
Open this song map in the editor

A pop beat across all 72 bars, with a marker at each section, to change part by part. No account needed to start.

The parts of a song

What each section does, in the order it usually comes.

The parts of a song and what each does
PartWhat it does
IntroOpens the song and sets its tempo, key and mood.
VerseTells the story: new words each time over the same music.
Pre-chorusBuilds from the verse toward the chorus.
ChorusThe same words each time: the song’s main idea and biggest part.
Post-chorusA short, repeated idea straight after the chorus.
HookThe catchiest idea; in rap, the chorus.
RefrainA line that comes back in the same place, often closing each verse.
BridgeComes once, late on, with new chords and words, before the last chorus.
BreakdownParts drop out, in dance music; a heavy half-time section, in metal.
Build-upRaises the tension before a drop: rolls, risers, a filter opening.
DropThe full beat and bass after a build-up: dance music’s main section.
GrooveThe beat with the bass: what a house track runs on.
SoloOne instrument takes the melody, often a guitar.
OutroEnds the song, winding it down.

Song forms, by their letters

Songwriters name a song’s shape with a letter per section: the same letter is the same music coming back.

Verse–chorus ABAB

Verse, chorus, verse, chorus. Most pop, rock, country and rap songs are built on it.

Verse–chorus–bridge ABABCB

Verse–chorus with a bridge (C) before the last chorus. The usual pop song.

AABA, the 32-bar form AABA

Two 8-bar verses, a contrasting 8-bar bridge (B), then the verse again. The shape of many jazz standards and early pop songs.

Strophic AAA

The same music for every verse, often with a refrain at the end of each. Folk songs, hymns and many blues songs.

Through-composed ABCD

New music all the way through, with nothing repeated. Rare in pop; common in film music and classical songs.

Blues has a form of its own, twelve bars long, on the chords; it is on the 12-bar blues page.

Song structure by style

A song map for each style, at the tempo its beat starts at in the editor.

A song map for each style: its sections, bars and length
StyleLength
Pop72 bars, 2:37at 110 BPM
Rap80 bars, 3:33at 90 BPM
EDM96 bars, 3:00at 128 BPM
House104 bars, 3:21at 124 BPM
Rock92 bars, 3:04at 120 BPM
Metal112 bars, 2:48at 160 BPM
R&B68 bars, 3:01at 90 BPM
Country80 bars, 2:55at 110 BPM

How long is a song?

Most pop and rap songs today run about two and a half to four minutes. In bars, the length is the bars times four beats, times 60, divided by the tempo:

How long a song is, by its bars and its tempo
Bars90 BPM110 BPM128 BPM
64 bars2:512:202:00
80 bars3:332:552:30
96 bars4:163:293:00

Questions about song structure

What is song structure?

The order of a song’s sections: intro, verses, choruses, a bridge and an outro, and how long each one is. It is what makes a song feel like it goes somewhere instead of looping.

What are the parts of a song?

Most songs are built from an intro, verses, a pre-chorus, choruses, a bridge and an outro. Rap has hooks for choruses; dance music has build-ups, drops and breakdowns.

What is the most common song structure?

Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, often with a short intro and outro and a pre-chorus before each chorus.

How many bars is a song?

Most songs are about 64 to 100 bars. Length is bars times four beats, times 60, divided by the tempo: 72 bars at 110 BPM is 2:37.

What is ABABCB?

Song structure in letters: A is the verse, B the chorus and C the bridge, so verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.

Build a song section by section

Open a song map in the free editor: a beat laid out as a whole song, a marker at each section. Mute the drums in the intro, add a melody to the chorus, each part its own lane.

Open the basic song mapChord progressions

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