THE BUILD AND THE BRIDGE

 

The Build and the Bridge

We have touched on these elements before. I’d like to look at each in more detail.

First, lets look at the “build”—also called the climb and/or pre-chorus. To begin, the build is not an essential part of the verse. Many songs do not use the device at all and they work just fine without one. So don’t feel like this is some essential part of making your song successful by default.

The question is: when is a build useful?

The first situation is when you have a short verse—maybe two or four lines—and the idea is not at a point where it is ready to deliver or setup the chorus. In other words, you still need to bend your idea around with more information so that it glides into the chorus without sounding like it is coming from left field.

Let’s look at an example--the classic build in “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”

You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.

And there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips.

(build)

You're trying hard not to show it, (baby).

But baby, baby I know it... (why?)

You've lost that lovin' feeling,

Whoa, that lovin' feeling,

You've lost that lovin' feeling,

Now it's gone...gone...gone...wooooooh.

In this first verse and build, we have two statements followed by a conclusion. The build acts as the conclusion, which introduces the idea expressed in the chorus. With the build in place, the chorus is set up—ready to be delivered--” You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.

Notice also that the music is rather static before the build. It’s not moving anywhere. It keeps coming back to the I chord. When the build starts, the music begins to have tension, moving into the IIm and IIIm chords, into the IV and V chords. The tension releases when the chorus comes in with the I chord.

Now there's no welcome look in your eyes

when I reach for you.

And now you're starting to criticize little things I do.

(build)

It makes me just feel like crying, (baby).

'Cause baby, something beautiful’s dying.

The same pattern is repeated in the second verse and build—Two statements, static changes, followed by a conclusion that uses movement toward the chorus again—and, once again, the chorus title is set up by “something beautiful’s dying”. The natural question on the listeners mind—why?—is answered by the first line of the chorus—“again, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”.

Another thing to recognize is that the melody in the build or pre-chorus is generally a bit higher than the verse it follows. Thus, there is a rising of melody to go along with the feeling of the build. In this manner, it acts to “bridge” a lower melody line in a verse with a higher melody in the chorus—setting itself somewhere in between the verse melody and the chorus melody, which is the highest melodic section of the song.

Whether a song uses a build or “pre-chorus” or not, it is important to note that the chorus in most songs strives to reach a higher melodic line than the verse. This lifts the chorus “up” and makes it stand out in contrast to the verse melody. Subconsciously, it notifies the listener that “this is the chorus” of the song.

Failing to conform to this unwritten rule has a strong tendency to make your verse and chorus sound the same—that is, ultimately not very interesting. By using a higher shift in melody when the chorus comes in, the writer provides contrast and a new and fresh sense of interest. Most listeners have been so indoctrinated by this technique that they will instantly feel like they missed the “payoff” of a good chorus melody if it is not supplied. Not being songwriters, they may not be able to tell you why, but they will know that something didn’t happen like they expected it to. Rock bands such as Nirvana and Led Zeppelin have used this technique to great effect many times—as have many pop and country artists.

As I previously mentioned, not all songs need a build. Most do not. When a verse is moving and creating tension from the start, chances are a pre-chorus will not be used. Likewise, if the lyrical idea is moving line by line toward the title in the chorus, a build is usually not needed. When a build IS employed, it is usually when both lyric and melody need to make a shift so that the verse can work its way logically to the chorus.

Other songs that employ a build include:

All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye—John Mayer

She’s Gone—Hall and Oates

The Bridge

We have already talked about the bridge section of a song in some detail, but I’d like to expand on the concept and synopsize the concept in general.

A bridge is a third musical section that is normally followed by two verses and two choruses. It enters the song where a third verse might otherwise be. A bridge can be either vocal or instrumental. In either case, it provides a harmonic deviation that sets it apart from the verse and the chorus. It can act musically as a literal bridge between a chorus and a third verse or a final chorus. It takes the listener momentarily away from the repetition of the verses and the chorus and provides a third musical section—like a slight vacation for the listener’s ears—before returning to either a verse or, more commonly, a final chorus. 

Like the pre-chorus (or build/climb), bridges usually occupy melodic territory that is higher than the verse, but not as high as the chorus. We always want to make the chorus stand out as the highest pinnacle of the song. When constructing a bridge melody, keep this fact in mind.

Another technical fact is that the bridge usually begins with a chord that the verse and the chorus haven’t begun with. The idea here is to let the bridge start from a different place. If a verse starts with a I chord and a chorus starts with a V chord, then the writer should choose another fresh chord to start the bridge with: a IV, IIm or VIm for example.

Lyrically, we want the bridge to say something that, a) hasn’t already been said, b) expresses the theme in a concise way—in a “nutshell”, c) takes a more philosophical take on the lyrics, theme and title or d) takes a new arc that can somehow come back to the chorus, giving the listener additional information that casts the chorus in a bit of a different light.

In a story song, a lyrical bridge can be used to introduce a new scene. It can also be used to make a leap in time in the story. In an instrumental chorus, it can act as an interlude and can also be used to give a sense that time has passed.