Jeff Israel Music- Songwriting 9/10/2012

Song Mapping

Song Mapping is a process by which a listener or songwriter can quickly sketch the overall form of a song. It uses shorthand and symbols to break the song into readily understandable sections, in order for other musicians and/or the songwriter himself to be able to follow along & remember the structure of the song. It also helps reveal problems, provide ideas and context for further creation, and allow for reflection and serious consideration of ones own songwriting process. Song mapping generally consists of two stages: structure & chord progression/phrasing. During the structural phase, the songwriter or listener divides the song into sections, either using A-B notation (for songs with many parts or without lyrics, jazz or classical songs, etc) or V-C notation (for more standard songs & much popular music). In V-C notation, we have the following general symbols & meanings: I- Introduction: While occasionally unrelated thematically to the body of the song, introductions often present one or more of the compositions central motives, usually in a slightly altered condition. They serve to establish the style, tonality, timbre, and instrumentation of the song, and can be anywhere from very short (one or two beats) to several minutes. V- Verse: The equivalent of a poetic stanza, the verse is often the storytelling moment in the song. Verse to verse, the lyrics typically change while the melody remains more or less similar. Verses usually contain less instrumentation & focus more on the singers voice (than choruses). P- Prechorus: The prechorus is a short harmonic or thematic introduction to the chorus. It is used as a transition from the sound of the verse (or Bridge) to the sound of the chorus (this can include instrumentation, rhythm, melody, harmony, etc). C- Chorus: The chorus is generally the thesis statement of the song, containing its strongest message and fullest sound & instrumentation. Often repeated several times throughout the song, the chorus usually remains roughly the same in lyrics and melody. Choruses frequently also signal a key change or modulation. B- Bridge: The bridge is a harmonically & stylistically distinct section of the song that serves to provide contrast to the rest of the tune. Bridges are often in a different key, a different time signature, a new tempo, a new dynamic, and/or contain different instruments/production. Successful bridges may or may not maintain motivic relation to the rest of the song. Extreme motivic shifts can constitute a breakdown (Br or BD) as opposed to a bridge.

O- Outro: The outro is used to send the song to its end. Outros regularly include vamping (or the repetition of a line, phrase, or motive), fadeouts or decrescendos, and/or reduction of instrumentation/layering. Sometimes, outros are extended and linked into the intro for a new song. When these sections repeat, the symbols can acquire subscripts to indicate slight changes in a general repetition: V1, V2, etc.

A basic song map could look like this: I-V1-V2-P-C-V3-P-C-B-V4-P-C-O

Extended song mapping is called chartingcharting is the addition of specific lengths and chord changes to the basic structure. Sections are represented in bar lengths, like so : | 8 |. Chord symbols and important licks (short specific melodies) are added each time the chord changes. A given 16-bar verse may look like this: C Am F G G7

V: | 4 | | 4 | | 4 ||2||2| Charts are usually written on manuscript paper.