The course › Unit 11: Accompanying a song

A song, from start to finish

Lesson 66 of 72 · The intro, the verses, the chorus and the ending: accompanying for real

In this lesson, you will:

• Recognize the form of a song: intro, verse, chorus, bridge, ending
• Launch the singer with a count-in and an intro, and end on the tonic
• Accompany a whole song without stopping

1. Learn: The map of a song

A song is a series of sections that come back. Knowing them means you always know where you are… and where the singer is going.

• The intro: a few measures of piano alone, before the voice comes in. It sets the key and the tempo.
• The verse: the music comes back, but the lyrics change each time. You accompany it fairly softly and simply.
• The chorus: the big moment, with the same lyrics every time it returns. You play louder and fuller: octaves, eighth notes…
• The bridge: a different section, often played only once, with other chords. A contrast before the last chorus.
• The ending: you finish on the tonic chord, the I.

A very common form in pop: intro – verse – chorus – verse – chorus – bridge – chorus – ending. Many traditional songs are even simpler: a single chord chart, played again for each verse.

Did you know?: Many jazz standards, often born in Broadway musicals between the 1920s and the 1950s, follow the 32-bar AABA form: an 8-bar phrase (A) played twice, a bridge (B), then A one last time.

2. Quiz: The form and the pianist’s job

• Which section comes back with the same lyrics?
• The bridge is…
• To make the chorus take off, the pianist…
• A song is in G. Which chord does it most often end on?
• Listen: is this an ending?
• And this one?

3. Learn: Launching the singer, ending in style

• The count-in: before you start, count one whole measure out loud, in tempo: “one, two, three, four.” Everyone starts together, at the right speed.
• The intro: play the last line of the chart (in When the Saints: C | C | G | C), or simply I – V (C | G) once or twice. The singer hears the key and gets ready for the first note.
• Watch out for pickups: the melody of When the Saints starts after a quarter rest, on beat 2. Play the chord on 1: the singer comes in right after.
• The ending: land back on the I and let it ring: a held chord (a fermata), or a rising arpeggio. You often slow down over the last two measures: that’s the ritardando (rit.).
• Follow the singer: the singer leads. If they slow down, slow down; if they take a breath, wait for them; if they slip, catch up with them… and never stop.

Why this way: Up to now, you’ve worked in small pieces: a chord, a pattern, a line. For a song, the last step is the opposite: play everything in one go, intro and ending included, without stopping, as if you were onstage. Pay special attention to the transitions from one section to the next: that’s where mistakes hide.

4. Practice: The start and the ending, in every key

For the intro and the ending, you need to find the I and the V of the key quickly. Any octave, any order of notes.

5. Guided play: The intro and the ending

At your own pace, both hands. First the intro of When the Saints, the last line of the chart: C | C | G | C (imagine the singer coming in after it). Then the ending: a rising C arpeggio, and the chord held over the low octave.

6. Piece: When the Saints: the bass

A real song, from the intro to the ending: When the Saints Go Marching In, the New Orleans gospel tune. Your left hand supports the whole melody. The computer plays the intro, then the melody. You play the left hand: root and fifth in half notes (fingers 5 and 1), from start to finish. The singer comes in after the four measures of intro, on beat 2.

7. Piece: When the Saints, hands together

The grand finale: you’re the band’s pianist. Count “one, two, three, four,” start the intro, sing, and don’t stop until the last chord. After that, Let It Be, No Woman, No Cry and La Bamba are waiting for you in Pieces: the same recipe, on real hits. The oom-pah from lesson 64: bass on 1 and 3 (root, fifth), chord on 2 and 4. Intro, song, then the arpeggio ending. The melody isn’t written out: sing it (or hum it) as you play!

To practice

• When the Saints Go Marching In: Starting after a rest
• Let It Be: The Beatles: verse and chorus on the piano
• No Woman, No Cry: Bob Marley: the reggae offbeat
• La Bamba: Ritchie Valens: three chords and lots of energy

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