Lost in the Song--Send Help! Part 3

We’ve been talking about song form and anticipating what a band is going to go next when you’re playing with them. We talked about the verse (V) and chorus (C) sections of the songs, and went through the most basic song format. We added the pre-chorus (P) and bridge (B) to make more complex forms. Today we'll talk about intros, outros, tags, turnarounds and vamps.

Getting Into the Song: Intros

The intro (I) is the instrumental music played before we start singing. Its role is to introduce the song, to set the mood and prepare us to sing. Not every song has an introduction and not every song needs an introduction. You may play the same song with or without an intro.

Getting Out of the Song: Outros and Tags

In the same way that the intro gets us into the song, the outro (O) takes us out of the song. It keeps the song from ending too abruptly, takes us in for a gentle landing after we’ve sung a great song. An outro may be the same piece of music used for the intro, but it doesn't have to be.

Tags (Tag) are another way to end a song. A tag is simply a small portion of the song repeated, usually three times, before ending the song. For example:

You are My King by Darlene Zscheck
Tag: “In all I do, I honor You.”

Shout to the Lord by Darlene Zscheck
Tag: “Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.”

I guess Darlene likes ending her songs with tags! Seriously though, you will find that certain artists favor certain song forms when they write their music. Good stuff to notice. And remember, just because they performed a song a particular way doesn't mean that you have to. You can change the song form at will.

Getting Turned Around: Turnarounds

Like we said in part 1 of this series, the song exists to go to the chorus. After the course is over the song has an identity crisis, because it doesn’t know where to go. Sometimes it sounds too abrupt to go right back to verse 2. This is where we use a turnaround.

A turnaround (T) is a short section of instrumental music that precedes verse 2. You can think of it as the introduction to verse 2. The turnaround might be the same piece of music used for the intro or outro, but again, it doesn't have to be.

Song Forms:

Remember our basic song form:

V1-C
V2-C-C

Here it is with an intro, outro, and turnaround section:

I - V1 - C
T - V2 - C - C- O

Now let's take a look at some more complex song forms and analyze them.

Example 1:

I - V1 - P - C
T - V2 - P - C
B - C - C - O

Even though this is a long one, it's pretty straightforward. It includes an introduction and a turnaround, but you could still call the first two lines "twice down." The third section mixes it up, beginning with the bridge, followed by a double chorus and outro. So, twice down, bridge, double chorus and outro. That's not so hard to remember!

Example 2:

C - V1 - P - C
T - V2 - P - C
B - P - C - C - Tag

This song starts with the chorus, setting the energy high right away. We play the song once down, insert a turnaround, then play it down again. So that's chorus, twice down with a turnaround.

The third section is less predictable. The bridge takes us back to the pre-chorus instead of the chorus, we play the standard double chorus, and end with a tag instead of an outro.

Let's look at some familiar worship songs with complex song forms.

My Savior Lives by Glenn Packiam & Jon Egan




I - V 1- C
T - V2 - C
T - B - C - C - O

This one starts out with an introduction, and it's a lengthy one. Then it goes once down to the chorus, turnaround (which is a shorter version of the intro, in this case), and take the song twice down.

They play the turnaround again before the bridge, and then play the bridge five times! The first time through it is just the instruments, and then they sing it four times. Notice that each time they play the bridge, the intensity builds. This is important--if you play the same thing over and over without building the intensity, you may have people nodding off in the pews!

Then comes a double chorus. The first of these choruses is what we call a "breakdown," meaning many of the instruments drop out. They do one more full chorus with everyone back in, and use the music from the introduction as the outro.

Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin



I - V1 - P - C
V2 - P - CB - C - Tag

This song starts with a very open orchestral introduction. They take it twice down the go to the bridge, followed by only one chorus. (I think they avoided the double chorus because this chorus is already fairly long.) Notice that the first half of the last chorus is a breakdown--this leaves room to build the intensity toward the end, when the rest of the instruments come back in. They ended with the tag "Jesus Messiah, Lord of all."

All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises by Paul Baloche



C - T - V1 - C
T - V2 - C
T(solo) - C - C - Tag

This song kicks off with the chorus right away, setting the energy high. They use a turnaround to take the energy down just a notch, so they don't come crashing into verse 1. They play the song twice down, using a turnaround before verse 2, then play the turnaround again under the guitar solo.

After the guitar solo, they do the standard double chorus, breaking down the first chorus. They tag the song with "All the earth will sing Your Praises," but the music the instrumentalists are playing is the same music they use for the turnaround!

Each song is different, but they're all made out of the same parts. Practice listening to songs and analyzing their forms, and make note of variations as you find them. You'll never be lost in the song again!