I play in a band. We are trying to move past the cover stage and are beginning to write our own songs. We're doing okay, but if there's one thing which we cant do is write a bridge. How do write a bridge that sounds different but fits? What are the options for writing a bridge? Are the certain musical rules which apply? :help:

Subscribing to this thread. Not sure if there is a "musical rule" for a bridge. I typically try a bunch of patterns, and see which one fits best. Moving chromatically seems to work a lot for me, but also sticking to the key note keeps me out of trouble. For example, if say a bridge is 4 bars, then at the beginning of each bar, I may start with the root note from the the regular progression. Of course, that doesn't apply for every case.

Again, those are just a few ones that have worked for me. I'm following this thread mainly to learn something myself.

The best thing to do is find bands or artists that you like and study their approach to bridges. Once you dissect them and figure out what they're doing, you can take a similar approach or even come up with your own ideas.

I prefer the bridgeless approach to song-writing. Maybe that's because I dip into random obscureness every time.

The best thing to do is find bands or artists that you like and study their approach to bridges. Once you dissect them and figure out what they're doing, you can take a similar approach or even come up with your own ideas.

+1 try to figure out what people are doing in bridges you like. Then go from there.

The best thing to do is find bands or artists that you like and study their approach to bridges. Once you dissect them and figure out what they're doing, you can take a similar approach or even come up with your own ideas.

+1 here too.

I don't see any musical "rules" for a bridge, but for instance, try to start the bridge on another chord than the verse and the chorus. It also often sounds good to end the bridge on the V (fifth step) dominant chord (e.g. G7 if the song is in C).

You could also try to jump (modulate) to a completely different key in the bridge and then go back to the original key prior to the following chorus. A minor 3rd up is quite common.

The standard 'old school' method would be to start the bridge on the IV chord, keep the progression simpler than the "A" section... and then end on the V7 to take you back to "A".

Other variations would be to start the bridge on the vi (Am in the key of C) and then go about the same as the above.

Some of the greatest song writers in the history of pop music had a rough time with bridges. Check out Jerome Kern... he seemed to over intellectualize them to the point of being a tad boring. Cole Porter avoided them quite often. Berlin often devised different forms to get away from the issue. Gershwin got it right almost always. Do-Wop and 50's rock and roll often used the formulas that I noted above. With the Beatles we find some very interesting and unique changes in the formula that few composers have equalled.

Have fun... its a great artform.

Okay, ill give that a go...

The verse that we've written ends on chord 4, so beginning the bridge on chord 4 would sound rather samey... Anyway around this???

conventional song structure is overrated. I stopped doing verses, choruses, or bridges about 7 years ago. Repeating parts? forget about that.

All about 80 minute epics that no one wants to sit through unless they are on drugs. Maybe thats why so many stoners like my band....

If your verse ends on IV, I would try to change key for the bridge. Hard to tell how valuable this now is when I haven't heard the song, but say your song is in G major, you could maybe have a bridge like this:

| Eb | Bb/D | Cm | Ab Bb |
| Eb | Bb/D | Cm | D7 |

The D7 leads you back to to G. Or you could modulate the following chorus up a minor third (if it's still possible to sing it then) by playing it like this instead:

| Eb | Bb/D | Cm | Ab Bb |
| Gb | Db/F | Ebm | F7 | which leads you to to Bb


EDIT: The reason why a bridge is used is often to add dynamics to the song and create some contrasts so the song won't sound the same the from the start to the end. That's good to keep in mind when writing a bridge, IMO.

Brilliant, thanks for the ideas. :D