Song Structure

Plus, developments through the years.

Previously from PHILMUS
• Strophic – still existent
• Kundiman
• First half – minor
• Second half - major
Common Pop Song Structure
A-B
• Still existent in a few pop songs, but rarely used
• Sometimes known as the verse-chorus form
• Verse = tells the story
• Chorus = most important part of the song; should bear the most
intensity, compared to the verses
Jukebox Hits!
Isang Babalikan, Isang Iiwanan (Cristy
Mendoza) Bakit (Imelda Papin)
Kapalaran (Rico J. Puno)
• Another type of A-B song
structure
• Strophic structure, only different
on the second half of the second
verse
A-B-C structure
• Includes the following elements
• Verse
• Chorus
• Bridge
• Most common structure among
Filipino pop ballads
A-B-C structure
• Sometimes include the following
elements
• Verse
• Pre-chorus
• Chorus (usually repeated towards
the end)
A-B-C-D structure
• Variation of the verse-chorus-
bridge structure
• Includes the pre-chorus as a
leverage to the chorus section
• Also, a common structure
among Filipino pop ballads
Ideas on song length
• 3 minutes and 30 seconds at the most to make it more marketable
• However, there are songs that are more than 3 minutes and 30
seconds
• Digital age – much shorter length
• Shorter attention span, especially Spotify and TikTok users
Chorus vs Refrain
Refrain
• Hook/title (main lyrical
hook/title)
• Often used in upbeat songs (a
rarity in Filipino pop, due to its
ballad-heavy culture)
• Part of verse melody and rhythm
Chorus
• Special type of refrain
• Multiple voices (common part
where backup singers enter)
• Different intensity from verse, in
terms of:
• Melody
• Rhythm
• Most dominant part of the song
Binibini (Rainmakers)
• Strophic, ending each verse with
“O kay ganda, o kay gandang
mag-alay sa iyo.”
• Only has a short contrasting
section.
Rampa (Rox Santos, Vice Ganda)
• Verse-Pre chorus – refrain -
bridge structure
• Focuses on the hook, proving
that “all choruses are refrains,
but not all refrains are choruses”
Itaktak Mo (Joey de Leon)
• Verse-refrain structure
• Focused on the phrase, “Itaktak
mo,” with syllabic variations
Other song structures
AB1ACB2DB2
• Another variation of the verse-
chorus form
• Third verse – variation of the first
two
• Fourth verse – different theme
from the first three verses
• B2 – different lyrics from first B
section
• D – chorus but different melody
from the original chorus melody
• Example: “You’ll Be Safe Here”
(Rivermaya)
ABCD
• Different musical theme per
section; not strophic.
• No chorus and bridge sections.
• Example: “Pers Lab” (Hotdog)
ABCDECDAD
• Another variation of the verse-
chorus form
• Verses are not strophic.
• Example: “Halik” (Aegis)
The Middle 8th
The unsung section.
The Middle 8th
• Usually instrumental, sometimes spoken
• Different from the bridge section
• Rarely used by Filipino composers
Exercise: Look for the middle 8th and bridge
sections here.