I missed her recent concert in my neck of the woods. But I heard it was great. It’s always cool—and rare—when a musician’s live performances are better than their studio recordings. But, according to YouTube, Sara Bareilles is even better in front of an audience. Perfect pitch and interesting melodies … very cool.

A great example is her performance of the song, “Bottle It Up.” Sitting with her band on a pier overlooking a lake, Sara B. totally shines. It’s really good stuff. Check it out:

When musicians write a song, they have to ask themselves a few questions. For example, does our song have a main melody? And if so, where do we repeat it? How many times? Do we need to add a second, contrasting melody, like a chorus? What about some buffer or break between the two melodies? And how do we work our way into the main melody … or wrap things up at the end?

To help answer these questions, musicians use something called “song form”—which helps us outline the basic structure of a song. Using simple letters (like A, B, C, etc.), form gives us a bird’s-eye view of the melody. At a glance, we can see how every section is laid out … from start to finish.

In the example above, we would play each section in order as “A–B–A–B–C–B.” That is, “verse–chorus–verse–chorus–bridge–chorus.” The letters have nothing to do with individual notes or chords, of course. They simply outline the various sections in a song. By labeling each part of the melody, we can quickly see when and where to repeat each part.

There aren’t any strict rules on this. But in most popular music, each section is about eight measures long. Typically, the verse is the first melody in a song. It spans roughly eight measures and is repeated at least a couple of times. The chorus is then the second (and main) melody. It’s also about eight measures long, and alternates with each of the different verses. Musicians can combine these parts in any way they’d like. But here are a few of the most common forms you’ll hear:

Depending on the song form, some music may include a lot of verses … or several choruses … or an intro, bridge, coda, or whatever. But no matter what form you choose, these standard designs give our music some real structure and shape.

You might even say that song forms are a lot like templates. Ready-made placeholders for our melodies and progressions. We simply fill in the content, and let the song form give our music shape. All we have to do is repeat a section here … or cut-and-paste a section there … and we’re in business. Of course, each and every song is unique—with its own special notes, lyrics, and chord patterns. But the basic form we use may be totally common.

In the United States, people go crazy for Christmas. Or, better said, retail chains and grocery stores go crazy. Totally out of their heads. I mean, they start selling Christmas merchandise months in advance. Like BEFORE Halloween!

Seriously—what is up with that? I like the holidays as much as the next guy, I suppose. But, back in the day, people seemed to have more patience.

Right now, you can’t even walk into a store without being bombarded by big Santa Claus displays and loud Christmas music … lots and lots of Christmas music. Although it’s not even December yet. Sheesh….

Don’t get me wrong. I’m totally excited for the season. And I have to admit that Christmas music has, hands down, some of the very best melodies—ever. But these songs are special partly because they are rare. I mean, I can listen to a John Lennon record like “Imagine” any time of year. But a song like “Happy X-Mas (War is Over)” has a much more limited window—say, from December 1 to December 25. It’s true.

Anyway, I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer. Then when the holidays really begin, I can put on some classic Bing Crosby tunes, fire up the oven, and bake myself some Christmas cookies … as it snows outside.

!!!WARNING!!! Okay, okay, I know. As an artist, you’re probably anxious to cut to the chase. You might be thinking, “let’s put our skills to use, and start making some music already.” And to be honest, I’m right there with you. But have patience, my child. These next couple of lessons focus a bit more on the left brain … talking about structure, form, style, and so on.

But hey, it’s all good stuff to know. So just remember this: we’re looking at the science of sound, so you can then focus on the art of music. Get through these next few posts, and you’ll be well on your way to musical bliss.

Once we have the basic idea for a song—like a simple melody and chord progression—it has to be stretched and expanded into a song. And the easiest way to do this is using “repetition.” In fact, when we played through the blues progression before, we kind of saw how this works. By jumping back to the very beginning, we turned a short, 12-measure pattern into a rockin’ good song.

As it turns out, musicians use repetition like this all the time. It just sounds good. The music builds as you cycle through the notes. Only, instead of using big, clunky arrows to guide us through—like in the example above—musicians rely on more subtle symbols called “repeat signs.” Just like the common road signs you see in the street everyday, these little symbols help us navigate a piece of music like a roadmap.

It’s simple, really. Repeat signs give us direction on how to move through a song. They tell us when to repeat certain sections … and where to jump to other parts within the music. They also help us save space and reduce clutter. By recycling the notes in various measures, repeat symbols spare us the hassle of writing a bunch of notes over and over again. For example, check out the following pattern:

Using just two small repeat signs, we can play through this melody as many times as we want. We don’t have to rewite the exact same notes … because the repeat symbols already tell us everything we need to know. Simply play all four measures—then go back to the beginning and start again.

If we feel like it, we could continue bouncing back through this melody forever. But after a while, that would get a little boring … and maybe start sounding like a broken record. So instead of throwing us into an endless feedback loop, these repeat signs just mean to play through this pattern only once again—like this:

When you first see the start repeat marker in a song, ignore it. It doesn’t come into play until you see the end repeat marker. At that point, return to the start repeat sign, and play though the music between the markers again. After you’ve repeated those notes, keep moving through the song. There really isn’t much to it … just repeat a few notes, and then get back on the road. By using a couple of repeat sings, we’ve expanded our song a bit—while saving a bunch of space.

Sometimes, you might also see a song that doesn’t have any start repeat sign (like in the image above). But no worries … things work out just the same. When you arrive at the end repeat marker, simply return to the very beginning of the piece and play again.

In a nutshell, repeat signs are a nice, clean way to expand our music into larger and more interesting songs—as we can see in the exercise below. With only a few measures, these notes may sound like a cute little snippet of music. But with the repeat sign at the end, we add length to this song … and give it more power and muscle. Like watering a small plant, we use repetition to give life to our music. And help it grow into something a whole lot stronger.

Circle progressions are useful because they show us the general flow of chords in a song. From one chord to the next, we can see where things are going. And while each pattern may be unique, one rule always holds true—every song has a definite sense of movement and direction.

In other words, good music always moves forward with purpose. Sometimes, it marches at a brisk pace. And at other times, it might move at a leisurely stroll. But it never just wanders around aimlessly. From start to finish, music really knows where it’s headed. And that’s because each song begins and ends in the very same place—the tonic (I).

And why not? It is, after all, number one … literally. In any key, the tonic (I) is the star of the show, the big cheese, the boss. Which we can easily see with Color Music. As the chords follow the outline of a melody—moving away from, and then back toward, the tonic—a song goes through cycles of tension and release. And this creates a yin-yang motion that propels the music forward.

Together, the melody and progression follow the same path. In fact, they work hand-in-hand, like partners on a common journey. Moving in harmony, they stick together … always sharing the same destination—the tonic chord (I). It just sounds right.

The only question now is, “what’s next?” I mean, once we know these basic patterns, how do we turn them into bigger and better songs. Playing a few notes over a couple of measures is nice. But how do we go from a few measures to entire songs?

Well, the answer, my friends, is what we’ll look at next….

You know, nothing says “summer” like the song “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis. It’s a great melody, but the video might be even better. I can’t explain the sudden mood lighting … or the reason Lewis keeps looking at the ceiling. But, hey, that doesn’t matter:

When we say the primary chords (I, IV, V) are popular, we ain’t kidding. They show up all the time in music. And while a lot of simple folk and pop songs use these triads, the most common example of a primary chord progression is what musicians call the “12-bar blues.” Without a doubt, you’ve heard of this, right? It’s played by repeating the same three chords over 12 measures. In a nutshell, it looks like this:

People call this “the blues” because it goes really well with the “blues scale.” And by adding a seventh chord here and there, we can create a tense, “bluesy” sound that feels like warm gravy poured directly onto the brain. In the key of C, for example, a blues progression and melody sound something like this:

Just like usual, we start at the tonic (I) chord. Then we make a short visit to our friend, the subdominant (IV) chord. After a couple of measures, we return to the tonic (I) … before passing through the dominant (V), again to the subdominant (IV), and finally home to the tonic (I) chord. Like a pleasant walk through the neighborhood, we eventually end up at home where we began.

The blues progression is so popular because it just sounds good. And it can be repeated as many times as you want. Once you make it through the first 12 measures, feel free to keep going … looping back through the same cycle over and over again.

By mixing it up a little—occasionally playing a seventh chord or tweaking the melody a bit—this progression makes for hours of fun. Using only those basic primary chords, we can play some very cool music. But of course, we have many more options, too. All we have to do is add a few chords to a song….

In the world of cinema, Alfred Hitchcock is still known as one of the greatest directors of all time. He was a master of suspense, scaring the [living daylights] out of audiences around the world. Some of his best movies include “Psycho” (1960), “Vertigo” (1958), “Dial M for Murder” (1954), and “Rear Window” (1954). In fact, I still have nightmares just thinking about him.

But like any of this man’s great plotlines, today’s quiz has a slight twist. And that is, which movie is known as the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made? In other words, what famous movie is commonly mistaken as a Hitchcock classic—even though it was directed by someone else? Is it:

a) “To Catch a Thief”
b) “The Birds”
c) “Charade”
d) “The Man Who Knew Too Much”

If you answered “Option C,” you are correct. Each one of these films is by Alfred Hitchcock—except the thriller “Charade.” Directed by Stanley Donen in 1963, it was an instant cinematic hit.

Everything about this movie feels like an Alfred Hitchcock film. The suspense, the dark lighting, the plot twists, and even the leading man. (Cary Grant starred in multiple Hitchcock masterpieces.)

But a big reason “Charade” feels like the “real thing” is because of its music. Every note of this film’s haunting melody—composed by Henry Mancini—is brilliant. Like it was written for one of Alfred Hitchcock’s own stories. As far as theme songs go, “Charade” has one of the very best. But watch out—this song is so catchy, it might actually kill you.

In music, primary chords are so popular it’s almost a cliché. In fact, a lot of musicians live on a simple diet of just those three chords—the tonic (I), subdominant (IV), and dominant (V). Like a nice plate of rice and beans, we can serve these three triads up in a variety of ways … and the dish is always tasty.

For example, imagine a hot meal of burritos, tacos, or enchiladas. Each recipe is awesome. But really, they’re all made from the same ingredients. By rearranging the tonic (I), subdominant (IV), and dominant (V) chords in different ways, we can create all sorts of songs that sound new and interesting. It’s pretty cool. The ingredients are the same, but the final product is totally different.

To see what I mean, check out the next classic song. Using the same, old primary chords, we can easily play a tune that everyone needs to know … “Happy Birthday.” As you move through each measure, try getting a feel for the chord progression. And after a little practice, you’ll be ready to perform it at your next birthday party. (Get out the balloons and confetti.)

Oh, yeah … and do you notice anything special about this song? That’s right—it has a 3/4 time signature. Which means we play it as a kind of waltz. Feel free to count out the beats in each measure to hear how it sounds. With three quarter-note beats per measure, this song goes something like this:

Also, the first two notes at the very beginning are called “pick-up notes.” We don’t actually count them as part of a real measure. Instead, they’re played before the first downbeat of the first measure. To hear it for yourself, play through this song a couple of times. And the result will sound great. With another chord progression—and a new time signature—under our belts, we’re starting to get really good … fast.

Gary Larson, who created the classic cartoon “The Far Side,” was brilliant. In fact, he still is a genius … although he’s retired now, and probably off on some beach sipping piña coladas. And if you ask me, he totally deserves some relaxation. Every one of his cartoons is pure gold. Plus, he could use a break, since his childhood was full of torture and teasing. As a kid, young Gary was tormented by his siblings … which is why his stuff is so funny and weird.

Anyway, I passed a house today that made me think of “The Far Side.” On my walk, I heard someone listening to some painfully monotonous song on their stereo. And I immediately imagined Larson’s classic picture of the cavemen orchestra.

Of course, with Color Music, our stuff will sound a lot more interesting. Because we’re learning to play more than just one note. Yeah, maybe our music won’t sound as hypnotic and primitive as that one-note trance music I heard today. But it will have much more variety … which is good. I mean, one note is great, but there are eleven others. Anyway, it’s nice (every once in a while) to think of those poor musicians who don’t have it so good … and count our lucky stars.

Gary Larson’s work is a copyright of FarWorks, Inc.