Making Your Song Chorus a Gem

Simplicity is a vital part of making a chorus hook singable and memorable.

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The chorus is a great place to start the songwriting process. The main reason for this is because as a song fades from one’s memory, the chorus is hooky and catchy enough to be the part that typically gets remembered. So it’s well worth the time spent to get the chorus right.

In a sense, you can think of a song’s chorus as a gem: a shiny, catchy bit that grabs attention. For most songs, the structure of a chorus will differ somewhat from the structure of the verse, and we talk a lot about that on this blog:

1. Verses often sit lower in pitch than choruses.
2. Verse lyrics are observational and narrative in character, contrasting with the chorus lyric which is much more emotive.
3. Verse chord progressions tend to have a more wandering nature, contrasting with the chorus progressions which are shorter and tonally stronger.

Your chorus has a much better chance of being remembered if you follow those three observations listed above. In addition, your chorus will have great potential if do the following:

1. Use repetition as an organizing element. Create a short 1- or 2-bar idea that sounds good when you hear it repeated. (i.e., it’s a hook!)
2. Make your hook singable. It’s not enough for a hook to be interesting to listen to. A connection to your audience will be strong if they can sing it or hum it at work or walking down the street.
3. Limit the number of notes in your chorus melody. Simplicity is a virtue, especially in song choruses.
4. Find an intriguing rhythm for your chorus hook. Once you’ve got your bit of lyric that will form the basis of your chorus hook (something like “I love the way you make me feel”, say), try out many different ways to say that line, different ways that use different rhythms. Hold some words longer, some shorter. Experiment. Remember that a hook isn’t just melody, it’s the rhythm as well that makes it catchy.

As I say, it’s time well spent to get your chorus hook shaped and honed to be a shining gem. Once that’s working for you, it makes the job of creating a verse that matches it a lot easier.

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Written by Gary Ewer. Follow on Twitter. “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle looks at songwriting from every angle, and has been used by thousands of songwriters. How to use chords, write melodies, and craft winning lyrics.  (And you’ll receive a FREE copy of “Creative Chord Progressions“)