Verse-Bridge-Verse Songs: Getting the Structure Right
Verse-Bridge-Verse Songs：獲得正確的結構

The great thing about various possible song designs is that they usually work for any genre. It shouldn’t matter if you’re writing pop, rock, country, folk… the principles that make a formal design (verse-chorus-bridge, for example) work apply to any and all genres.
各種可能的歌曲設計的偉大之處在於它們通常適用於任何流派。無論你寫的是流行、搖滾、鄉村、民謠......使正式設計（例如詩歌-合唱-橋段）起作用的原則適用於任何和所有流派。
And not just genres… you find them used in practically any era as well.
不僅僅是流派......您會發現它們幾乎在任何時代都使用。

That means that you don’t have to be studying recent music in order to learn the lessons that make your newest songs work. You can study the classics, and then apply the principles that guided the structure those old songs to your latest creations.
這意味著您不必為了學習使最新歌曲發揮作用的課程而學習最近的音樂。您可以學習經典歌曲，然後將指導結構的原則應用於您的最新創作中。

So let’s try that, and I’d like to look at a specific format: the verse-bridge-verse format – the songs that don’t use a chorus, per se.
所以讓我們試試這個，我想看看一種特定的格式：verse-bridge-verse 格式——本身不使用副歌的歌曲。

A great model is Billy Joel’s 1979 hit single, “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.” Verse-bridge-verse (A-B-A) songs often have the verse ending with what amounts to some sort of short refrain:
一個很好的例子是 Billy Joel 1979 年的熱門單曲“It's Still Rock and Roll to Me”。Verse-bridge-verse （A-B-A） 歌曲的結尾通常相當於某種簡短的副歌：

The repeated verse is typical of this form.
重複的詩句是這種形式的典型特徵。

So let’s take a look at what makes the verse-bridge song design work.
那麼讓我們來看看是什麼讓 verse-bridge 歌曲設計起作用。

1. The verse is a self-contained, complete unit. When choruses are involved, it’s common to have the verse require the chorus to offer a sense of completion. But in verse-bridge designs, the verse typically needs to come to a conclusion before venturing off to the bridge.
   這節經文是一個自成一體的完整單元。當涉及合唱時，通常讓詩句要求合唱提供一種完成感。但在詩句橋的設計中，詩句通常需要在冒險前往橋之前得出結論。
   We determine the key of the song usually by the final chord of the verse.
   我們通常通過詩句的最後一個和弦來確定歌曲的調性。
2. A verse often ends with a 1-line refrain. In this song’s case, the title line, “It’s still rock and roll to me”, sums up the sentiments of the verse lyric.
   一節通常以 1 行副歌結尾。在這首歌的例子中，標題行“It's still rock and roll to me”總結了歌詞的情感。
3. The chords for the first half of the verse might begin a short harmonic journey away from the tonic. In “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”, the progression starts in C major, but then moves away by adding a flat-VII: C  Em  Bb  F
   這節經文前半部分的和弦可能會開始一段遠離主音的短暫和聲之旅。在“It's Still Rock and Roll to Me”中，進行從 C 大調開始，但隨後通過添加降 VII 移開：C  Em  Bb  F
4. The chords for the second half of the verse will normally tighten up, moving solidly back to the key. In this song, we get this as a second-half progression: Em  Am  Em  D  G |C  Em  Bb  F  Am  G  C. As you can see, the end of the progression makes C major crystal-clear.
   詩句後半部分的和弦通常會收緊，堅實地回到調上。在這首歌中，我們得到了這個作為下半場的進行：Em  Am  Em  D  G |C  em  bb  f  am  g  c.正如你所看到的，進行結束時使 C 大調變得清晰。
5. The bridge usually takes the opportunity to go on a harmonic adventure, moving back to the original key as the bridge finishes. In this case, we get this: G  F  E  Am |G  F  E  Ab Eb  F G. The use of the Ab and Eb chords pulls the music in an odd direction before immediately returning to C major.
   橋通常會趁機進行和聲冒險，隨著橋 的完成而回到原來的鍵。在這種情況下，我們得到這個： G  F  E  Am | G F  E  AB EB F  G.Ab 和 Eb 和弦的使用將音樂拉向一個奇怪的方向，然後立即返回到 C 大調。
6. Verse-bridge forms need to finish with something familiar, so a return to the verse is crucial. Songs that use just verses and bridges will typically be ABA ternary forms.
   詩句橋的形式需要以熟悉的東西結束，因此回歸詩句至關重要。僅使用詩句和橋段的歌曲通常是 ABA 三元形式。

Other famous songs that use variations on the verse-bridge-verse (ABA) format: Peter Cetera’s “If You Leave Me Now“, Lennon-McCartney’s “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You“, as well as their “Norwegian Wood” (written by Lennon).
其他使用詩-橋-詩 （ABA） 格式變體的著名歌曲：Peter Cetera 的“If You Leave Me Now”、列儂-麥卡特尼的“I'm Happy Just to Dance With You”以及他們的“Norwegian Wood”（列儂創作）。

In a way, the verse-bridge format mimics the verse-chorus-bridge form, where a short, one-line refrain is typically used instead of a full chorus. And it works, no matter what genre you call your own.

If you decide to use this as a structure for your next song, you’ll find that your melodies will work best if the highest notes are in the bridge section. That gives the entire 3-part structure a kind of inverted-U shape, with the verse ending low.

Written by Gary Ewer. Follow Gary on Twitter.

Chapter 3 of Gary’s eBook “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting”, 3rd edition, shows you various song formats, and describes why they work, and how to apply them to your own music. The entire Deluxe Bundle of 10 songwriting eBooks covers every aspect of great songwriting, and gives you hundreds of chord progressions you can experiment with. READ MORE..