How to Write a Pop Song
Learning to pay guitar is a fantastic skill to learn how to write a pop song for you and your band maybe. Writing a pop song is a lot of fun and with your musician friends you can bring some real world experience to your music.
How to write a Pop Song – The parts
Writing a pop song requires you know the basics of how a song is formatted, how long each part generally is and what each part contains.
Lets look at the format of a pop song and get you started writing your first song.
How do you write a pop song step by step?
A theme is where you likely will start with an experience like a breakup or a new love, frustration over being a poor musician etc as a motivation. A catchy chorus idea or a catchy riff that comes from nowhere when your jamming. Check its not something your copping from another song ha ha.
Now you need to format the son but what chords and Key should you use? The key is often dictated by your singers ability to sing in a particular key. There is nothing wrong changing keys within a song. A very popular 70’s and 80’s idea to lift the end of the song.
Pick a Key for your Pop Song.
Lets start with C as a starting point as a key. This gives you the following chords to:
Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Key of C: C – Dm – Em – F – G – Am – B dim
There are literally hundreds of songs with one particular chord format you may use as a guide. This chord progression is the 1 – 5 – 6 – 4 progression. In the key of C you will find the following chords in the progression : C – G – Am – F.
If you play this through I’m sure you will have songs popping out you recognize.
Rock Song Popular Chord Progressions
If your considering belting out a rock song there are some favored chord progressions in this genre as well.
The most popular progression but its not the only one as is the same with the pop progression above. There are others but these seem simply to be more used by song writers.
The rock chord progression is the 1 – 6 – 4 – 5 Progression giving you the chords in the Key of C being: C – G – Em – F. Grab your guitar and play this progression through and see wht songs you recognize.
What is the structure of a pop song?
Lets get back to our pop song and its format. The format makes it easy to set up in a DAW (Digital Audio Work Station). You can set up a template to make your life a bit easier for recording your new amazing song.
The structure of a pop song is not fixed but if its not broken why fix it. The basic formulae for so many amazing and top 10 pop songs has remained basically the same for quite a while.
Whats a Verse?
A verse is essentially the story behind your song. Its generally done so the last word in the line rhymes with the next line as well.
Its an important element where the story behind the chorus is revealed to the listener.
The example blow again from Sweet Child o’ Mine and you can see the final words rhyme together at the end of the line.
Now and then when I see her FACE
She takes me away to that special PLACE
What is a Chorus
A chorus is the repeated section of a song which holds the hook or the catch line which is often the name of the song. We all remember the Chorus as we can all sing the chorus from our favorite songs easily bit not so the verse.
Its recommended to keep the amount of words limited to as short as possible but still get your idea across. Think of songs like Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N Roses.
Woah-oh-oh! Sweet Child O’ Mine
Woah-oh-oh! Sweet Child O’ Mine
What is a Pre Chorus
The pre chorus is often disregarded but it can be a powerful addition to a song. It is often short and containing a different chord pattern to the chorus or verse. In some occasions it is a small instrumental fill of just chords or in rock music it will of ten be a small lead guitar fill over these chords.
What is a Bridge
A Bridge is a combination of lines from the Chorus and the Verse.
Here you break up the song from repetition but mix the Chorus and verse over eight bars of music.
Dark and Light of a writing a pop song
Writing a pop song is more than putting some chords and lyrics together with a riff and droning through the song at the same speed and volume.
Modulation is an important part of song writing and having quieter verses against louder more prominent choruses is quite common. Of course the chorus has to be catch as the best songs have memorable catchy choruses that everyone sings. Make space in your composition and think of your favorite songs and how they sometimes have a pause to gain emphasis on a particular part or just before the big chorus.
Building Tension
How you start a song is another important factor to consider. Is it required to bring all the band in at one time and hit the listener with all you have. It may be better to start with a quiet guitar or just a vocal start before building the song up and introducing the drums and bass. Consider how you want the audience to hear the song.
This is as much creating a building effect having quieter as well as louder parts to the song. Instruments may change parts from riffs to other colorful ideas in the background. The drums may go from a full on rock four beat to just staying on the ride for a section. Consider how you want to get more modulation into your creation.
Its Time to Create
Now its over to you to unleash your musical creativity and put something on paper. Its likely you may find your creations amazing or hard work but getting with a friend or two who are interested and support each other in the writing process.
As Nike says: Just Do It . Enjoy and the road to songs will have easy times and hard times likely but nothing will happen if you don’t start doing it. Good Luck!
