Here’s another installment of our ongoing series on songwriting, this one courtesy of Ellie Mckinsey at knowyourinstrument.com.

Spice Up Your Songs With 3 Easy Formats!

You wouldn’t hire an architect to turn up without plans. As the architect of your song, the composer also needs to formulate a plan — a map to show where the piece is going and what happens when it gets there.

This is known as the structure or song form. Knowing your form allows you a foundation from which to experiment.

1. A/B Form

A/B is one of the simplest song forms, yet can be quite tricky to get right. It essentially alternates between two sections, an A and a B — such as a verse and chorus that repeat one after the other.

The key to getting the form to work is by adding enough contrast between the verse and chorus so it stays interesting. This can be done through lyrics, or adding instrumental sections and changes. You can also change your harmony or chord sequence.

2. Pop Form

Because this form is more flexible, there are lots of things you can add to make it more interesting. Generally, it would follow the pattern of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, something a little different such as a bridge, breakdown or solo, then two chorus to end.

You can always add linking sections, introductions, endings, solos, and a host of other devices into this mix. But if the form roughly fits this pattern, it should work fine.

3. Rondo Form

Rondo is a cool and interesting song form, with roots in classical music but used extensively in the cool jazz era. Though it’s fallen out of fashion in popular music, it occasionally makes a comeback.

It consists of three contrasting parts, the A, B, and C sections. A is the part that returns repeatedly, acting as a chorus. B returns once, depending on the type of rondo, so may be seen as a verse. The C section only plays once, so is more like a traditional bridge or instrumental section.

Use these 3 forms as a guide. Try adding sections, taking them away, and placing sections in the “wrong” place. You may just come up with something unique that changes the way you write forever!