Build a song — section by section
Lay out your song, set each section's length and energy, and hear the shape with a quick drum-and-chords sketch. Then export it for Ableton.
Add a section
Click a section to edit it. Drag to reorder (or use the arrow buttons). The line underneath is the song's energy.
Sections & forms
What each section is for, and how different genres put them together.
Intro4–8 bars
Sets the mood and tempo, then gets out of the way. Many streaming-era songs keep it short or open with the hook itself.
Verse8–16 bars
Tells the story. Lower energy than the chorus so the chorus has somewhere to go. The lyrics change each time; the music mostly doesn't.
Pre-chorus4–8 bars
The ramp. New chords, rising melody, drums thinning or building. It makes the chorus feel inevitable.
Chorus / Hook8–16 bars
The payoff and the part people remember. Highest energy, same words every time, usually the title. In hip-hop it's the hook between verses.
Post-chorus4–8 bars
A second hook straight after the chorus: a chant, a synth riff, a vocal chop. Common in pop and EDM.
Bridge4–8 bars
Contrast, usually once, late in the song: new chords, new melody, a new angle on the lyric. It makes the last chorus feel fresh.
Build-up4–8 bars
EDM's pre-chorus: snare rolls speeding up, filters opening, risers. Tension that has to be released.
Drop8–16 bars
The release after the build: full drums and bass, often with fewer vocals. EDM's chorus.
Breakdown8–16 bars
Strip it back: drums out, pads and vocals in. Lets the listener breathe before the next build.
Solo / Instrumental8–16 bars
The band (or a synth) takes the lead over verse or chorus chords.
Outro4–16 bars
How it ends: a fade, a final hook, or a stripped-back version of the intro so it feels like a full circle.
Common forms
| Genre | Typical form | Notes |
|---|
Call & response, song-sized
The same question-and-answer idea from melody writing works across a whole song. The verse asks and the chorus answers. A vocal line leaves a gap and an ad-lib or guitar fills it. In the blues, two matching lines are answered by a third (A A B). Learn it in the Writing Songs chapter, then write some in the Melody Maker.
Energy & contrast
A song that stays at one level gets boring fast. These are the six levers producers pull to move energy up and down.
Density
Add or remove parts. Verse: drums, bass, one chord instrument. Chorus: everything, plus doubles and layers. The easiest lever there is.
Register
Move the melody higher in the chorus. Higher pitch reads as more energy, which is why choruses so often jump up.
Rhythm
Hi-hats go from 8ths to 16ths. The kick goes four-on-the-floor. Or flip it: a half-time chorus feels huge after a busy verse.
Harmony
Save a new chord for the pre-chorus or bridge, so the chorus progression feels like coming home.
Width
Keep verses narrower and open up the chorus with wide doubles and stereo pads. Your ear hears width as size.
The drop-out
Mute the drums (or everything) for the last beat or bar before the chorus. The silence makes the hit land harder.
In Ableton
Turn the plan into a real arrangement.
Plan it here, then export
Build the structure, set the tempo and key, then hit Export MIDI. You get a drum guide, chords and bass laid out section by section.
Drop it into the Arrangement
Set Live's tempo to match, then drag the .mid file into the Arrangement View. Each part lands on its own MIDI track. Load real instruments onto them and you have a scaffold.
Mark the sections with locators
Click in the scrub area at the top of each section and add a locator (Create → Add Locator, or right-click the scrub area). Rename each one Verse, Chorus and so on. Click a locator to jump straight there.
Build from your best loop
Most songs start as a great 8-bar loop. Get the chorus loop right in the Session View first, then record it into the Arrangement and copy it with Ctrl/Cmd+D. Then subtract parts to make the verse, intro and breakdown.
Need more room?
Select time across the top and press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+D to duplicate it on every track at once, or Ctrl/Cmd+I to insert empty bars. See all the moves in the Shortcuts lab.