Who makes the rules for music?
As pop music evolved, songwriters started to modify and extend the various sections and generally bugger about with the formula, but only a little bit. The result is known as Compound AABA. It’s still very recogniseable and familiar in that it’s still verse-chorus-etc in a pattern recreated by thousands of songs – the difference is in the number of repetitions of verses and choruses. For example, ‘Every Breath You Take’ features a 32-bar section, a contrasting bridge and then a repeat of the 32-bar section, making a pattern of AABACAABA.
The other main ruleset for pop songwriting is the verse-chorus form, which makes it sound like the others – and it is, broadly – but the difference here is that unlike AABA (32-bar) form, the verse very much takes a back seat to the chorus, so it doesn’t have to be dressed up fancy with bridges and fiddly bits to make it stand out (e.g. ‘Penny Lane’, ‘Be My Baby’).
(continues overleaf)
8 Responses to Who makes the rules for music?