Sections and form

▶ Open in Aratu to hear the examples, change them and do the exercises

A song has parts: intro, verse, chorus, ending. Each part comes back more than once, and their order is the form of the piece. In Aratu you write each part once, with a name, and then say in what order they play.

A section

A section is a named block, written with section. Inside it go the parts and the lines, as in a whole piece:

Try it▶ Hear it in Aratu

tempo: 100
section verse {
  bass = | a2 _ e2 _ | f2 _ c3 _ |
  drums { hh = cc cc co cc; bd = b - b -; sd = - s - s }
}
form: verse

A block can sit on a single line, with ; between its lines, like the drums above. A section lasts as long as its longest line: here, two bars.

The form

The form: line gives the order of the sections. x2 plays a section twice in a row:

Try it▶ Hear it in Aratu

tempo: 100
section intro  { bass = | a2 _ _ _ | e2 _ _ _ | }
section verse  {
  bass = | a2 _ e2 _ | f2 _ c3 _ |
  drums { hh = cc cc co cc; bd = b - b -; sd = - s - s }
}
section chorus {
  guitar { chords = | Am | F | C | G |; strum = D du -u du }
  drums  { hh = cc cc cc cc; bd = b - b -; sd = - s - S }
}
section outro  { bass = | a2 _ _ _ | }

form: intro verse x2 chorus verse chorus outro

Listen to the order: intro, verse twice, chorus, verse, chorus, outro. When it reaches the end, the form starts again, like every loop in Aratu.

The section names are yours: intro, a, b, bridge, solo. Write them as one word, with no spaces.

Sections and repeats together

Inside a section, the repeat signs, endings and % from the lesson on repeats all work. And the form can repeat a longer stretch:

Try it▶ Hear it in Aratu

tempo: 110
section a { melody = | c4 e g e | d f a f | }
section b { melody = | e4 g b g | c5 _ _ _ | }
form: a x2 b a

That is the AABA form, the form of many jazz standards and bossa nova songs.

Exercises

Put the sections in order: intro, verse, chorus.

Exercise▶ Hear it in Aratu

section intro  { bass = | a2 _ _ _ | }
section verse  { bass = | c3 _ _ _ | }
section chorus { bass = | f2 _ _ _ | }
form: intro

See an answer

section intro  { bass = | a2 _ _ _ | }
section verse  { bass = | c3 _ _ _ | }
section chorus { bass = | f2 _ _ _ | }
form: intro verse chorus

Now the AABA form: section a twice, then b, then a.

Exercise▶ Hear it in Aratu

section a { melody = | c4 _ _ _ | }
section b { melody = | g4 _ _ _ | }
form: a b

See an answer

section a { melody = | c4 _ _ _ | }
section b { melody = | g4 _ _ _ | }
form: a x2 b a

Write the chorus section, with the bass playing F2 and G2, a half note each, for the form that is already there.

Exercise▶ Hear it in Aratu

section verse  { bass = | a2 _ _ _ | }
section chorus { bass = | - | }
form: verse chorus

See an answer

section verse  { bass = | a2 _ _ _ | }
section chorus { bass = | f2 _ g2 _ | }
form: verse chorus