bridge...

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britesynth

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how do you guys go about making your bridge? for me the bridge is basically the thought of the whole song, its the summary, it wraps up everything,

im really having a real hard time making bridges for my songs ive noticed it as time goes by, like whenever i make songs or beats its the part that i "fear" the most or its the least part i give attention to, i know its an important part of a song but whenever i hear some songs of mariah carey i notice that sometimes there are no shifting of chords at all when she makes her bridge just an octave voice and a lower voice and a different approach but basically the same chords, so i tend to ignore my bridges more since some artist are not putting bridges to their songs,,,,.... i wish you guys could help me or give me tips on how to enhance my "bridge making skills" and lessen my "fear" of it...

thanks!!!! :)
 
britesynth said:
how do you guys go about making your bridge? for me the bridge is basically the thought of the whole song, its the summary, it wraps up everything,

:)
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Actually, that would be the chorus. The bridge should be a bit of a "break away" from the rest of the song, not the summary.

Listen to great bands like the Beatles. Often, their bridges would be a contrast to the rest of the song. For example, in "We Can Work it Out", it's a very positive, "hopeful" tune, but the bridge comes in with a tense "Life is very short, and there's no time".

But, also don't forget. If you don't think the song NEEDS a bridge, don't put one in. You might risk the chance of the tune lacking something, but it's better than just throwing in a bridge because you think you should. Some great songs have no bridge.
 
thanks! i'll take note of that....

but how do you know when and when not to put a bridge on a song, i know it will be up to me but i really need some guidance, i think i suck a lot on making or judging whether or not to put bridge on my songs.... thanks!!!
 
I agree with RAMI - a strong chorus is much more important than a bridge. I notice many writers seem to feel obligated to add a bridge even if one is not really needed - which can actually hurt a song more than help.

While this may be the fine lining between writing and arranging - if I feel a song needs something and I've already made sure the verses are solid and the chorus is strong (and I'm confident the song does not need a distinct change (ie: a bridge) - I try to find a way to add a key change or modulation, or possibly chord substitutions to build the dynamics.

While I love a good bridge as much as the next guy - I try not to be depend on a bridge as the only way to make a song come to life.
 
britesynth said:
....

but how do you know when and when not to put a bridge on a song
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There is no specific answer to this. Normally, a bridge is used to introduce a new idea - most often a lyrical change (using the Beatles example from RAMI - a point/counter point). As an example, if you write about hoping your girl will come back to you - with the verses pleading your case and perhaps the chorus exclaiming how happy you will be........a bridge could be used to indicate - but if she doesn't come back you will instead be very unhappy.

While a bridge often will change the melody or utilize a different chord progression to make the lyrical change really stand out.......the melodic/harmonic structure of the bridge is primarily used simply to support the lyrical statement.

When do you need a bridge? Mainly when the story line demands a change.
 
One of my most recent songs was a duet. The first verse was the man's pov, talking about how he works really hard to give his woman all the finest things he can. The second verse was the woman explaining to him that she didn't want all the things, she just wanted him. The third verse, they were suddenly discussing ways to fix things. It was suggested to me to create a bridge where the two of them came to an agreement that there was a problem that needed fixing. Now it works much better. (I'm a lyricist, not a song writer, but I "hear" a change in chorus there; plus I even changed the rhyme scheme a bit for the bridge.)

If the story in the song has a point where the whole thing changes directions, that's a good place to put the bridge. If the story is all one smooth road, no bridge is needed, but if there's a gap in the story that you can't cover without adding more verses than necessary, then try a bridge.
 
If you can't think of a good bridge, either the song doesn't need one, or you just need to throw in a great guitar solo or something. The bridge is really just something to give the listener a break and wake them up again before the last verse and the inevitable "repeat chorus and fade".
 
iqi616 said:
The bridge is really just something to give the listener a break and wake them up again before the last verse and the inevitable "repeat chorus and fade".
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I think a bridge is more important than that. It shouldn't be a "throw away" part, just to keep the listener from falling asleep. If that's the case, then scrap the song because it's obviously too boring anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I think, too often, a bridge ruins a song. I can't tell you how many times I'm listening to a good song and find myself saying "WHY did they put that lame bridge in there???" It almost seems like an engineer wanted to get credit for being creative, so he threw out "I think it needs a bridge", only to ruin the song.

But, a good bridge can also lift the song from good to great. The Beatles and the Eagles do it right, because they know how to write songs.
 
i think of the bridge as an opportunity to go external to the song and comment on it... a change of perspective...
 
RAMI said:
It shouldn't be a "throw away" part, just to keep the listener from falling asleep.
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What I was trying to say is the bridge _is_ a "throw away" part in that if you don't have an excellent one, throw it away! :D Throw it away and stick in a great solo instead - don't put in a bridge just because you feel you ought to put one in just to keep the listener from falling asleep :)
 
iqi616 said:
What I was trying to say is the bridge _is_ a "throw away" part in that if you don't have an excellent one, throw it away! :D Throw it away and stick in a great solo instead - don't put in a bridge just because you feel you ought to put one in just to keep the listener from falling asleep :)
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Aah! Agreed.:D
 
iqi616 said:
What I was trying to say is the bridge _is_ a "throw away" part in that if you don't have an excellent one, throw it away! :D Throw it away and stick in a great solo instead - don't put in a bridge just because you feel you ought to put one in just to keep the listener from falling asleep :)
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Adding an instrumental solo is more of an arrangement decision, vs. a writing decision - but given your suggested application - it is still simply a way to change the melodic/harmonic content of the song. As RAMI indicates, if an instrumental solo is the only way to keep a song interesting - then the song is waaaay too weak to begin with.

A decision to use a bridge should be based primarily on the lyrical content of the song (unless the song is an instrumental or specifically needs an instrumental bridge to change the direction of the song).
 
mikeh said:
As RAMI indicates, if an instrumental solo is the only way to keep a song interesting - then the song is waaaay too weak to begin with.
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Not necessarily, too much of a good thing is boring too. If you have a great chorus with a great hook it will always be more effective if you don't give it to the listener all the way through the song. I'm also not saying that a solo is the only way to keep the song interesting. However, in the absence of a good bridge, put in a solo instead if the song is crying out for something to break up incessant verse-chorus repetition. To get away with an unrelenting V-C loop the lyrics have to be particularly gripping like "Matty Groves".

I guess I should point out that I'm picky about lyrics. If they don't connect with me, I'm not listening unless the music is strong enough to carry the whole song by itself. Even if they are great lyrics, if the music is crap, you've lost me.
 
For me a bridge is a way to fit something in that doesn't quite fit in the chorus or the verse. Maybe we have 3 riffs and only need 2 but we like all of them. Or I have some lyrics that are slightly different rhythmically than the rest.

For me it's easy to tell if my songs need a bridge. If I have something that I want to use but don't have room for it.....it becomes the bridge. :D
 
iqi616 said:
Not necessarily, too much of a good thing is boring too. something to break up incessant verse-chorus repetition.
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I do understand your point, and I often enjoy some kind of solo - as long as it supports the song and is not too long.

However, if a song has "incessant verse-chorus repetition" - then perhaps the song is already too long and a better approach may be to find a way to tell the story with less words (thus less verse-chorus repetition).
 
...

probably the best description (I thought, anyways...) of a bridge was that...

"its a whole different song, but very short in comparison to the container song... and it somehow goes perfectly WITH the song too, as contrast"

songwriting/composing/whatever you call it... is a lot like Othello...

"A minute to learn, a lifetime to master"
 
thanks guys im really learning a lot, i guess i have to listen to more beatles
 
I usually like a few nice slow strung out chords and vocals....usually a slower tempo and lighter....makes the chorus have more kick when it comes in and breaks up the song
 
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