I’d never heard of these guys before, but this song (and some of their other stuff) is excellent. When I first listened to it on the radio, the positive lyrics were surprising. I mean, who writes a chorus with the words, “I wanna make you happy … I wanna let you feel alive”? Most people don’t. No, most bands get all introspective, sad, and just plain cynical. So this song is like a huge breath of fresh air!

Here’s some info from the Kook’s website:  Three elements remain at the beating heart of the band: music, friendship… and doing anything it takes to get [a] good pop song. As Luke (the singer/songwriter) puts it simply, ‘If it doesn’t make you feel good, then what’s the point? There’s too much drab shoe-gazing s[tuff] around. I hate all that [nonsense]. You’ve got to push through it. That’s where you get great songs.’

Anyway, tap your toe to this one:

But I guess the real question is, how did I not know that. After all, the Beatles are the best band in the world. (Hands down.) So it seems like an official day of recognition would have been on my radar. Anyway, now we all know.

“Why July 10?,” you ask. Because it’s the anniversary of the Beatles’ return to Liverpool from the United States in 1964. On top of that, the film “Hard Day’s Night” premiered that same day as thousands of fans lined the streets to welcome the group home. It’s pretty cool.

Anyhow, since we’re a little late in celebrating, I suppose the only thing to do is watch a performance of the song, “Yesterday.” You may have heard it before?

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 you think about it, building a song is fairly easy. We just repeat a few parts … and organize each section into a nice, logical order. Usually, our songs will have a couple of different melodies—like a verse and  chorus—that keep things moving forward. And together, these sections create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

In fact, music is structured like any other art form. We arrange songs in the same way a playwright organizes a play or an architect designs a building. The same basic elements of beginning, middle, and end are used to give a song meaning and shape.

In other words, the way we construct a song isn’t random. Usually, our music is built with a sense of balance between unity and variety. Which means our songs include both repetition and change.

Unity satisfies the listener’s need for stability … while variety provides something new and unexpected for more interest. Together, these two sides support each other—and make the other stand out. You ear will usually tell you what sounds good. Too much repetition or too much change can get boring. So musicians try to strike a balance between the two.

To see what I mean, imagine the classic yin yang symbol. With a strong balance of both unity and variety, our music can be like this—full of energy and life. But when we have an imbalance of parts, everything bleeds into one another. And all we end up with is a bland, gray circle. Too much unity or too much variety isn’t nearly as cool. Which is why all the best musicians keep listeners engaged with a good dose of structure and balance.

Anyway … so, now that we’ve been trained in some ancient Chinese philosophy(!), let’s move on, shall we? I mean, it’s good to know how music is structured and all. But it gets even better when we add some style to our songs….

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.

By dividing a melody into sections, we can rearrange and repeat certain parts to create something new and exciting. Of course, not all songs include every type of section. But the following outlines the most popular ones you’ll often hear:

Like the rooms in a building or the acts in a play, each section is a small, contained unit. Just little snippets of melody that flow into each other. And when the melody lines in each section are strung together, they join to form a complete and seamless song.

The easiest way to tell each section apart is to focus on the lyrics. Most songs (like the example above) include most “verse” and “chorus” sections. Typically, each verse tells a short story, while eachchorus repeats its own separate melody and simple lyrics.

To see what I mean, try playing the next song—“Waltzing Matilda,” which is a traditional tune from Australia. We sing the top line of lyrics in the first verse … followed by the first chorus. The end repeat sign in the last measure then directs us back to the beginning, where we continue into the second verse … followed by the second (and finale) chorus.

Using repeat signs and song sections, we can give our music some real structure. Which sounds great. The only thing that would make our melodies and progressions even better would be to add a little more form. And, as you might have guessed, musicians use several “song forms” or designs that are especially popular.

So far, we’ve been building our songs using simple layers. Starting with a melody and a few chords, we’ve played some pretty awesome tunes. And by repeating certain parts, we’ve expanded our music into larger and more interesting compositions. But before you start repeating any old random notes, remember this: the melody is still the most important part of a song.

If you think about it, the melody is the actual focus in music. Like a musical “story,” it is usually long and flowing—with high and low points of interest, always moving toward a complete ending. The melody is the part of a song that “sings.” It’s the real backbone of a composition, and gives music its overall shape and feeling.

So it’s no surprise that we should follow the melody’s lead when building a song. And if we look a little closer, you’ll see that melodies follow a definite pattern. Each one is divided into smaller, simpler parts—called “sections”—that help give a song structure. You might even think of these sections as building blocks that form regular, repeating units. By putting them together (and repeating a few of them here and there), we create something totally new.

For example, if you listen to any song on the radio, you’ll notice that some of these sections are played again and again. It’s not an exact science, by any means. But musicians tend to build melodies using certain general “formulas.” With only a few standard sections, we can come up with a good melody—and song—in no time. Here … let me show you.

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.

Good news … the world is still full of really good (new) music. Yep, I found out this week as I was driving in my car. Flipping through the radio stations, I didn’t have high hopes. After all, the airwaves are often a musical wasteland. But, just for kicks, I turned to a new station and sat through the commercials—waiting.

So, imagine my delight when I heard the pop masterpiece “King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles. That’s right—masterpiece. It was so good, I had to Google the song right away. It turns out Sara Bareilles has a bunch of excellent songs. And, according to YouTube, her live performances are even better. Holy cow … how did I not know about her music?

Too bad I can’t go to her live concert in two days. It’s sure to be a cool event. Anyway, check out this video. It is really good stuff:

Without a doubt, repetition is important. It’s a natural way to take a short musical idea and turn it into something bigger and bolder. Which is why musicians use repeat symbols a lot. In fact, beyond the simple repeat sign, you’ll also sometimes see other markers that have their own special meanings. The three most popular include a few Italian words and abbreviations (… because Italian happens to be the accepted international language of music. Bella!):

• the ‘dal segno’ (D.S.) sign
• the ‘da capo’ (D.C.) sign, and
• the ‘Coda’ sign

Each one is similar, but slightly different. So let’s check them out, one at a time.

At first, this might seem like a lot of jumping around—and it is. But just like the road signs we see everyday, these repetition symbols help us move with ease through any song we like.

To get an even better feel for repetiion—and how we can use it to build larger songs—try the following exercise. Even if you get hung up, just slow down and play the notes again. You wouldn’t try driving through a city without knowing the riad signs, would you? Well, it’s the same with repetition symbols. A little practice definitely goes a long way.