whats the definition of a bar

  • Thread starter Thread starter jamesborn54
  • Start date Start date
J

jamesborn54

New member
hey guys whats a bar when writining a song how much do I write or what ever is ther a guide line or something
 
A bar is something two guys usually turn into :0

Seriously, a bar is a logial subdivision of music, defined as n notes of m type (I hesistate to say duration here), where type is a 16th, 8th, quarter, half note, etc.

Typically in rock a bar is 4 beats in length, where the type is a quarter note.

Beyond that, this is pretty much music 101.

Now as to length of a song, no one gets paid by number of bars or the number of notes they write. Songs are usually 3 minutes or so in the modern format (someone correct me if this has changed). Used to be bands could get by with 10 minute works, but I guess the fear is that the attention span recent generations couldn't handle that... :)



jamesborn54 said:
hey guys whats a bar when writining a song how much do I write or what ever is ther a guide line or something
 
jamesborn54 said:
how much do I write or what ever is ther a guide line or something

Write as succinctly as possible but use enough lyric to tell your story. Good luck. :D
 
i highly recommend the 12-Bar Blues as a starting point for songwriting too - you have 12 bars to play around with, and easy chord progressions, and you can fit a million lyrics in there too, and a set structure. have fun!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_bar_blues
 
Last edited:
12 bar blues should be part of songwriting 101 - for sure!
 
Back
Top