20) Song Structure (part II)

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[Post #20] This post is strictly connected with the previous one in which we explored the song structure of a pop-rock song. If we move to instrumental music or to piano solo music we must keep in mind that the following advice is still valid:
  1. the balance between repetitions and changes;
  2. the balance between anticipation and conclusion.
We said that the most important parts of a pop-rock song are:
  • Intro
  • Verse
  • Chorus (or Refrain)
  • Middle Eight (or Variation, Special, etc.)
  • Bridge
  • Instrumental or Solo
  • Outro (or Coda)
  • Hook
If we analyze instrumental music we talk about sequence or alternation of themes instead of sequence or alternation of verse, bridge, chorus, etc. Some parts (for example Intro, Outro, Hook, or Solo) have the same function in each kind of music and what we said about them is valid here too.

For these reasons, the structure of an instrumental composition depends on the number of its themes. Here are some examples:
  • strophic form (one theme often repeated - AAAA);
  • binary form (two themes in contrast - ABAB or AABBAABB);
  • ternary form (ABA).
This page of Wikipedia can be useful if you want to deepen your knowledge of musical forms.

Each theme is identified by a capital letter. For this reason, A, B, C are the same as theme 1, theme 2, and theme 3. If a theme is repeated but with some (even small) variations we use the same letter with an apostrophe. That means that if our composition has two themes in the form A-B-A, we can write A-B-A' if the repetition of the A theme has some changes.

Let's make a comparison. This is a typical pop-rock scheme:
Intro - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Middle Eight - Chorus - Outro
This is is the same scheme but adapted for instrumental music, classical music, piano music, etc.:
Intro - A - B - A - B - C - B - Outro (in other words: Intro - Tema 1 - Tema 2 - Tema 1 - Tema 2 - Tema 3 - Tema 2 - Outro).

However, there is an important difference between pop-rock and instrumental music. The last one has often longer and/or complicated themes, which means that there are fewer repetitions than in a standard pop song based on short verses and chorus.
There are no rules by choosing the musical form of a composition, these are just some examples:
A-B-A-B
A-B-C-B
A-A-B-A
A-B-A
A-B-B-A
This list could be endless and please keep in mind that each structure can be enhanced with Intro, Outro, etc.

Below I show you the structure of some compositions of mine for piano solo.

Changing Plans


Scheme (you can see the duration of each part)
Intro: 0 - 31''
A: 31'' - 57''
Intro: 57'' - 1'25''
A: 1'25 - 1'49''
B: 1'49'' - 2'41''
B1: 1'49'' - 2'06''
B2: 2'06'' - 2'24''
B3: 2'24'' - 2'41''
A: 2'41'' - 3'05''
Outro: from 3'05'' till the end

Here we see that Intro and A are repeated twice before the B section starts (it is made of 3 sub-parts based on the same theme). Finally, there is the A theme again and then the Outro (exactly like the Intro).

Something Else


Scheme
A: 0 - 36''
A': 36'' - 56''
B: 56'' - 2'10''
A: from 2'10'' till the end

This scheme is very simple. The A works also as Intro and Outro. Section A' is the same as A but played faster, while the B part is made of one theme repeated twice.

Seduzione


Scheme
A: 0 - 34''
A: 34'' - 1'04''
B: 1'04'' - 2'50'
B1: 1'04'' - 1'25''
B2: 1'25'' - 1'47''
B3: 1'47'' - 2'06''
B4: 2'06'' - 2'25''
B5: 2'25'' - 2'50''
A': 2'50'' - 3'29''
C: from 3'29'' till the end

Here the A theme is repeated before the big B section starts (5 sub-parts all very similar). The A theme comes back at the end of the composition with just a small change on the last bars (for this reason is written A') and the piece ends with a non-thematic Coda or Outro, a theme completely different from the rest of the song (for this reason we can also write C, as I did).

Impressions


Scheme
Intro: 0 - 17''
A: 17'' - 1'27''
Intro: 1'27'' - 1'37''
B: 1'37'' - 2'19''
Intro: 2'19'' - 2'29''
C: 2'29'' - 3'05''
Intro: 3'05'' - 3'15''
A': from 3'15 till the end

This scheme is different from the other ones because each theme (A, B, and C) is a variation of the same idea played with different accompaniments, rhythms and time; moreover, between each theme, there is the repetition of the very short Intro. The composition ends with a variation of the A part (for this reason A').


We can now take a look at a famous piano piece. We will analyze its structure, its chord progressions, and its left and right-hand patterns. So we will see that a lot of things we said until now are essential to creating a successful composition. Let's analyze River Flows in You by Yiruma.




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