Songwriting Mini Course Part 2 – How To Write A Verse For A Song
Welcome to part 2 of the mini course on learning the steps for writing a song. In part 1, you learned how to write a song intro to quickly get the attention of anyone who hears your song. Now, I am going to show you what to do once you have written your song intro and are ready to take the next step...Today you will be learning how to write a verse for a song.
If you have not done so already, I highly recommend completing songwriting steps 1 and 2 from the previous part before continuing with the steps discussed today. After engaging the listener and building up interest with your song intro, it is time to write the main section of your song.
Songwriting Step #3: Write A Verse For Your Song
The verse in a song is commonly thought of as the “main” section of the song. This is the section in a song that will contain the majority of the lyrical content (if you are writing lyrics) and is where the vocal melodies normally begin. Creating a verse is one of the biggest steps for writing a song because it creates the overall “feel” of the music. If you ever listened to a song and thought: “That song is a happy song (or sad song, or angry song, etc.), it is because the songwriter had written the verse with the intention of making you feel that way. Keep this in mind as you write your song verse.
The verse section in a song will normally be made up of a melody (vocal or instrumental) with chords played underneath. Similar to when you were writing an intro, there are many different ways to write a verse for a song. Here are a couple of easy and effective ways to get started:
1. Write A Verse For A Song: Simple Verse
A very simple song verse will simply contain a basic melody and chords that are played 1 to 4 times before moving onto the next section in the song. Here is a chart showing a verse that repeats 4 times to help you picture this more easily:
Here the intro section leads into the verse where the verse is repeated 4 times.
When writing a simple verse, you don’t need to repeat the melody and chord parts exactly note for note. If you use too much repetition without any variety, your music may quickly become “boring”. One way to solve this is to change the note rhythms a little in the chords or melody whenever you repeat them.
2. Write A Verse For A Song: Using More Variety
To write a verse for a song with a little more variety, you can split up the verse into two halves like this:
First Half = 1 melody part and 1 chord part. Second Half = The same (or similar) melody part from the first half and a new chord part.
Here is a chart to help you picture this more easily:
Here the intro section leads into the verse which is split into 2 halves.
When making a different chord part, try using new chords, different rhythm patterns, or even adding in different instruments. As a side note, you don’t have to make this part entirely different. This part can be as subtle as adding on a few extra notes to the chord or simply changing the rhythm a little.
In addition, try making the melody different while keeping the chords the same. Experimentation is key here, so try different approaches to see what sounds good to you.
If you choose to write your song verse like this, here is something to keep in mind: Usually the second half of the verse is written to build up to the next section of the song. I will discuss this new section in more detail in part 3 of this mini course.
How To Get The Most Value From What You Learned Today:
Now that I have shown you a couple ways to write a verse in a song, write your verse and put it together with the intro you made before. Do the two musical sections sound good together? If not, try adding in or taking out something to make things “flow” better.
In part 3, your song will really start coming together as we add on a new song section. Until then, take the following steps:
- Learn how to create your own creative ideas for songwriting and use them to supplement the song you are currently working on.
- Review part 1 of this mini course by reading about how to write a song intro to refine the intro section you have created (or create a new one).