I am stuck with one of my songs, and I believe this question relates to form--an area which I don't know much about. The form of the song was as follows:
- Intro
- Verse
- Bridge
- Chorus
This part is then repeated one time to create the song. Each section contains a different progression, so there are 4 different progressions.
Now, the issue:
With this set-up, the song is shorter than I would like. It is brisk and catchy, but comes in at like 2.5 minutes. In trying to lengthen the song, I added yet another section (different chords) in between steps 3 and 4 during the second go-round. This is where I got stuck. The song that was quick and catchy all of a sudden felt confused/watered-down/lost/directionless.
I really like the new section I wrote, but I am afraid that the new progression is leading the song as a whole astray and diminishing the impact of the other parts. That being said, I am afraid to use chords from the other sections for this part because what if the song then sounds repetitive? I am wondering if you have any suggestions for lengthening my track using a bridge section in between steps 3 and 4 while keeping the song focused and punchy. Doubling the length of the bridge, beginning the chorus early, using the verse chords, etc. are all suggestions you may have.
If this question cannot be answered without knowing what the progressions themselves are, then please indicate so in the comments and I will edit them into this question. Thank you for the tips.
-286642
Update
I have decided on the following form:
- Intro (iii-IV-ii-V)
- Verse (iii-I-vi-IV)
- Bridge (V-ii-V-III)
- Chorus (I-vi-ii-V)
- Intro
- Verse
- Bridge
- Chorus
- Outro (I-vi-IV-V)
Note that sections 5-8 are identical to the first four sections.
By making my new section (#9) an outro, I avoid disrupting the flow of the song, since it can't be disrupted if the song is already, in a sense, over!