Writing The Bridge - 3 Chord Strategies | How to Write Songs

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#songwriting #howtowriteasong #taylorswift #harrystyles

Three chord strategies for creating satisfying contrast and variation in the bridge section of your songs.

We first start by defining what a bridge is - then look at 3 chord-based (or harmonic) approaches, in increasing levels of harmonic complexity, for creating a sense of contrast, variation, and movement in the bridge section of your songs.

We look at songs by The Beatles and Bruno Major that put the concepts into context.

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#songwriting #howtowritesongs #songs #bridge #brunomajor #thebeatles #yesterday #nothing #chords #musictheory #harmony

Image credits:
Bruno Major - by Max Knight
Lauv - Instagram
The Beatles - Wiki Commons
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I’m 73 and I just discovered how fascinating music theory is. I’m a self taught musician and can’t read music. But the theory I understand. When I was in college other students said they were talking music theory. I wanted to but they said I had to be able to read music. I played bass in a band and on until I retired. Now I’m playing acoustic and electric guitars and really enjoying what I’ve learned about music theory. Too bad I’m not in Britain where I could take your class in college.

dukeofearl
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Through listening to lots of music i know where the bridge is and its effect on the song. This lesson has explained it very clearly what is happening with the cords and the theory behind it. I had a light bulb moment, thamk you for the lesson.

chinnink
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Self taught oboist from 10 years old. Dad a concert pianist taught at Yale for Paul Hindemith as a student. I turned pages for him since 8 years old, and he never tsught me any harmony. Then i started playing guitar and used all his fake books to learn how to play knowing the major mode and studying Jerry Coker Jazz Improvisation and learning modes from the Major mode. The way you explained and graphed the minor mode was excellent, and how to borrow here and there from mixolydian and minor modes. These are all suggestions i've used before, but explained in a way that gives me a more open and free way to think about how to find our contrasts in our progressions to maintain interest for ourselves and the listener. Kudos!

nomorebushz
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HOW have I only discovered your channel today?
I'm a huge fan of music theory channels....Adam Neely, 12 Tone, and especially Ben Levin.
But this is the first time I've stumbled across your stuff. Immediate subscribe and like and all that fun stuff. :)
I love that you apparently(?) focus on writing SONGS. Not just navel gazing at music theory for it's own sake. Love it!

avedic
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I've written a couple handful of songs, whether it be for personal enjoyment or to play with the band. But honestly these videos help a lot, I've taken classes on how to be a great instrumentalist but never took the time or saw the importance in learning song writing in conjunction with it.

alexdietrich
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I only discovered your channel this morning and I am already completely immersed in it. You, quite accidentally, make me feel quite clever. Despite passing 'O' level Music (British schooling, forty years ago - a very basic school-leaving exam) I did not know that what I was doing was modal that I have been using the mixolydian scale all these decades. I love the diagrams showing the fretboard. You are very generous, freely giving away all your knowledge. I look forward to learning more, especially on the lyrics side of things, which is where I always fail miserably. Many thanks.

BobMcGowan-NotTheChairCircle
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Keppie you do a marvelous job of explaining the strategies and theory.

I have been using line cliches for 50 years - never heard the term! (The Beatles use this in the bridge of “And Your Bird Can Sing.”)

Modal interchange - The Beatles use this effectively all the time. Two examples are “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (the Dm7 that starts the bridge) and “From Me to You” (does it twice - the Gm7 that starts the bridge, and the D7 that starts the second line of the bridge. When I think of it, I beleive the bridge ends with an ascending line cliché!)

Your song is gorgeous. I’ll be studying that progression as an exercise.

cvermette
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Thanks for making this free. I am an unpaid church musician but I want to be good at what I love and this helps. Psychology of the song listener, cords theory, both good stuff you presented.

mariposa
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Very useful, thank you. I know line cliches and modal structures but, sometimes, it's really useful to get ideas and see how others think of using them.

markwelsh
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Fantastic! A music device question I’ve been longing to find an answer to: In John Lennon’s first attempt at a ballad, “If I Fell”, I read that Paul McCartney wrote the great Intro to that song. I’ve always marveled at its brilliant modulation device, starting 1/2 step above the tonic D, and chromatically walking until it resolves to D with the II-V Em-A.
Knowing McCartney grew up on WW II music, do you know of any big band song where he might have heard this chromatic modulation device?
I can’t think of another Beatles song where he uses this technique, but I’ve always found it to be one of the most masterfully musical devices of all modulations I’ve ever heard in any song. I’m hoping you can suggest a song or songs that use this technique. Now that I’m asking you, it comes to mind that it might be the kind of music device used by Glenn Miller’s Band.
Thanks for your wonderful video! As others have said, you’re a great teacher and obviously very knowledgeable on song structure.

johne
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Not to take anything away from the content of the video, just want to express my admiration for that gorgeous guitar too. Love that fretboard inlay. Photographs well. Nice one.

jpsilverplaylists
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Neil Finn is a MASTER of the bridge. Song after song of perfect bridges e.g. Twice if You’re Lucky. Just wow.

geoffholmes
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Great lesson! I have no formal training. My first songs were all verses😂. Then I discovered the verse. Now, I’m learning about bridges. The relative minor trick is something I look forward to exploring.
Thank you….BTW, beautiful voice.

robertmoriarty
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Your videos are amazing ❤ I love watching them. You explain things in such an easy to understand way. I’d always wondered how for example a G to a Gm can work and now I know! Thank you 😊

michaelrussell
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This is a FABULOUS video. I have been a gigging musician for many years, written many songs that had local exposure/success. While I’ve successfully navigated some of the most challenging educational institutions in the world for non-musical education, music theory has always completely stumped me. Indeed, for the most part, I clutched Strategy 1 here and held on for dear life over the years (worked out fine). But this video really makes sense, and shows the path and value of other approaches without sounding like quantum mechanics and string theory expressed in Sanskrit. Bravo! (Almost makes me want to go beyond Strategy 1 for my next bridge! ; )

greggorsag
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Thanks so much for this. I don’t know any theory and all of this kinda blows over my head, but listening to what you played while describing why you were playing really it brought me closer to understanding it more than I ever have. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise. It’s greatly appreciated 🎉

anthonywallace
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Last Call is magic! Another great video. Very clear.

iandevlin_Ibanez
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Thank you so much for your clear explanation of what are really fundamental aspects of song writing. I’m self taught and have very little formal knowledge of music theory but have just watched 2 of your videos which explain and demystify a number of what I’ve come to describe as happy accidents in my own stuff!

Clocktoys
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Thrilled to find you and your channel! I'm learning so much from you, already. Thanks for the absolute gold you pour into these videos, so very appreciated! And the song you're playing, "Last Call", is gorgeous.

RiversGarcia
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Hmm, that's very interesting Keppie. Especially that modal strategy. Thank you.

vengealdreams