How to Write Instrumental Songs With a Verse, Chorus & Bridge

The verse/chorus/bridge form is a common structure for music, especially popular songs. A simple but effective use of this form is Plain White T's song, "Hey There Delilah." (The first two links in the Resources provide a performance of this song and a copy of the lyrics for reference.) Each verse begins with the words "Hey there Delilah," and, as is often the case, the verse part of the melody is repeated before the chorus. Then comes the chorus, which is built upon nothing more than the words "Oh, it's what you do to me." Then, after this sequence has been presented twice, there is a bridge beginning with the words "A thousand miles," followed by another verse (with only one statement of the melody this time) and the chorus again. It's a formula you'll hear repeated many times, but as this song proves, it can still be quite powerful when done well.
OK, but what if you want to write an instrumental piece rather than a song with lyrics? The good news is that you can follow this same structure and use essentially the same techniques you would use for writing a song with lyrics---you just won't have any words to deal with. Or will you? We'll get to that later, but first let's take a look at a general approach you can use to writing such a piece, bearing in mind that there is no one right way to compose music.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

How to Write Instrumental Songs With a Verse, Chorus and Bridge

1. Begin with the chorus, unless you already have ideas for the rest of the composition. The chorus is generally the catchiest, most memorable section, so it often makes sense to write it first. To make the chorus catchy, try keeping the phrases short and including a noticeable amount of repetition. Also, the chorus usually has some of the highest notes, if not the highest note. (Notice how the pitch, along with the emotional intensity, jumps to a higher level in the chorus of "Hey There Delilah.") Another trick is to write the chorus based on a cell. A cell is a small group of notes---three, four or perhaps five---that either are used exclusively or at least primarily. For example, if you are writing in the key of C major, you might select the notes C, D, F and A. Ironically, restricting your choices in this manner tends to stimulate creativity.

2. Write the melody to be used for the verses. Keep in mind that the verses should contrast with the chorus and yet be compatible with it. One way you can do this is to select a different cell to use, yet one which has notes in common with the cell of the chorus. The rhythm also should contrast; it's particularly appropriate to have the verse begin with shorter notes and the chorus begin with longer notes, providing more emphasis. (Notice this technique in "Hey There Delilah.") It is often effective, particularly in instrumental music, to add a pre-chorus or "climb" to make a transition from the verse to the chorus. This is a very short phrase, perhaps only a couple of measures, and it often literally climbs in pitch to reach the emotional plateau of the chorus.

3. Write the bridge, which offers even stronger contrast---you might even want to modulate to a different key. In fact, in some cases, the bridge simply repeats the same melody as the verse or chorus in a different key (and usually at a higher pitch). Eight measures is the typical length for a bridge, and therefore, it is often referred to as a "middle eight." Notice that in "Hey There Delilah," it is the bridge, rather than the chorus, that contains the highest notes in the song. This is very effective, creating tension to be resolved in the verse that follows.

4. Tinker with the exact sequence if you want once you have the building blocks established. Rather than state the verse twice the first two times, and then only once, you might want to state it twice the first time, and then only once the second two times. Rather than repeat both the verse and chorus after the bridge, you might repeat only the chorus. And for a long piece, you might even consider two bridges.

Tips & Warnings

• Just because you aren't writing a song with lyrics doesn't mean you can't use words to help you write music. Try writing "dummy lyrics" to get you started. Dummy lyrics are trial lyrics to help shape the music, and then they can be discarded later. Many songwriters use them (Paul McCartney's song "Yesterday" started out as "Scrambled Eggs"), and there is no reason why a composer of instrumentals can't do likewise. Dummy lyrics don't have to be appropriate for anything, and they don't have to make sense; they're just there to provide a framework for your imagination. There is a great deal of repetition in music and especially in popular music. It's a double-edged sword; on one hand, repetition is comforting to the listener, but on the other hand, it can become monotonous if overdone. So when you repeat a melodic section, give it at least some subtle variation, if only in the instrumentation. There are many good books on composition that you should read if you are interested in writing music. One of the finest, especially for beginners, is "Composing Music: A New Approach," by William Russo. There is some excellent and inexpensive music notation software available these days, including Music Creator by Cakewalk (see Resources), which is very beginner friendly.
• Beware the "tyranny of four." Four is the dominant number in music; most compositions are in four-four time, and most phrases are four measures long or some multiple thereof. And so on. It's unavoidable to some extent, but it can become predictable and boring. So once you have a little experience writing music, work in some variations to add spice. Choose a different time signature (listen to the Pink Floyd song "Money" to hear how catchy an unusual meter like five-four can sound) or vary the lengths of your musical phrases.

Resources

• "Hey There Delilah" lyrics
• "Hey There Delilah" performance
• "Composing Music" on Amazon
• Cakewalk Music Creator