RnB song structure?

[N.U.G.]

Whatup peoples,

I know hip-hop song structure is usually;

intro (4-8 bars)
verse 1 (16 bars)
chorus (4 bars)
verse 2 (16 bars)
chorus (4 bars)
verse 3 (16 bars)
chorus (4 bars)
outro (4-8 bars)

but what about for rnb tracks?

help a playa out :cool:

[Copenhagen]

It all varies...but isn't much different from Hip-Hop (as you describe above)...apart from the bridges/b-parts that many R&B songs have. Also, they usually contain no more than 3 verses. All in all though, it's the same structure, contemporary R&B started over Hip-Hop beats in the first place...

[N.U.G.]

cool, thanks Copenhagen. I always thought it was basically the same but I'm more of a hip-hop head so I wasn't sure if there was anything I needed to know. The reason why I'm asking is that I've made many R&B tracks before and when I'm working with an artist I'll send them the track and let them arrange it themselves, but now I'm working with some singers who want me to send them some tracks pre-arranged with some type of basic R&B song structure so they can take it to the studio and it's ready to sing on.
Can you tell me what meant by bridges/b-parts. I know I've heard many people saying "take it to the bridge" in R&B flavoured tracks. Is it a change in the beat or more of a breakdown with some of the instruments being taken out and such?

:)

[vitaminman]

Hey,

That's not the hip-hop structure! Here it is:

Intro where some guy gets on the cell phone and brags about how much 'bling bling' he has: 43 bars

Bridge where you hear all of the rapper's friends crawl into the studio saying 'what?!?' and 'nigga!': 12 bars

Verses and choruses, consisting of the words 'what?!?' and 'nigga!!' no less that 57 times, cameo apperances by Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg or Bustah Rhymes, a shout out to the Neptunes, some reference to drugs, alcohol or girls, and something about how much they love their kids: 128 bars

Segue into the next track where the rapper and a few friends call a couple 'ho's' and tell them about the new PS2's they had installed in the back seats of their mom's Gremlin: 31 bars

http://www.gremlintime.net/Grem0.jpg

:D

In my humble opinion, a bridge is a small section of music which helps make the transition between a verse and a chorus.

Nick

[fame_keyz]

Originally posted by vitaminman


Bridge where you hear all of the rapper's friends crawl into the studio saying 'what?!?' and 'nigga!': 12 bars


That was funny:D

[Copenhagen]

Hey Nick, that was actually funny...I didn't know that you had humor...:D

The bridge IS a transition between a verse and a chorus. In R&B songs you usually have one 'bridge' between the last verse and chorus or some may have the bridge between f.x. the 3rd and 4th chorus...instead of a verse.
If you listen to some uptempo R&B songs, you'll sometimes hear a small break where they add strings and kind of slow it down, that seems to be one of the most common 'bridges' in contemporary R&B.
The drums breaks that you find in many old songs are f.x. 'bridges' too.

[vitaminman]

Hey,

Let it be known that I was voted 'Funniest Guy' at my high school in the 10th grade.

But seriously, folks, there are lots of ways to arrange a song, and there is no wrong way to do it. It's been pretty popular forever to do the whole intro:verse:chorus:verse:chorus:bridge:chorus:endi ng structure, probably because it's what people are used to.

There are similar structures in techno music...percussive intro, bass, long build up, long breakdown, melodic anthem build up, everything hits at once after the long drum roll, then the wind down for the dj to mix in the next record.

It's all so exciting!

Take care,

Nick

[inrctyhoodmusic]

That was funny vitaminman I was also voted something in the 10 grade or know as the guy not to try to have an argument and in my senior year book they gave me a first ever title in the history of the school...Most Militant

[Rob-Les]

Good question though...I wondered that myself at times. I've tried to experiment with R&B and I've always kind of followed the hip-hop structured above. Mad knowledge up in here. Keep it moving! One!

[bigdmakintrax]

a bridge is where there is a chord change or transition, a hook is where you insert either the chorus either rapped or sung...it is the catchiest part of the song...... there has never been a hit song without a hook........a bridge is not always necessary but will add to the overall depth and dimension of your track

[Thelonius]

He's right the hook is and should be the fattest part of the song. It funny that most of the time you try and sample the hook off old crap, and then you have to hook your hook.

[PHILharmonic]

according to Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians: brigde: In popular music and jazz a term applied to a passage in which a formal transition is made. In popular music it is used of the penultimate section in the refrain of a popular song, leading to the final repeat of the opening section (section b in the form aaba); the bridge provides a contrast, often tonal as well as harmonic and melodic, with the opening section. In ragtime and early jazz the bridge is a short section, normally of four or eight bars, that links the separate strains of multithematic compositions; it often incorporates a change of key. In the modal vamps of soul jazz and funk the bridge may simply be an alternative section, typically on the subdominant or dominant, without necessarily having such formal connotations. Rock musicians may call any different section that appears once within an otherwise repeating form the bridge or middle eight.

[inrctyhoodmusic]

Philharmonic---You have my vote for Fade to put the professor under your name.....Groove dictionary of music and Musicians...shhiiit!!!! you aint playin no games my man...

[SpLitPerSonaliT]

THeres no "structure" to any song do what u feel cmon now i thought u knew that shit by now

[bigdmakintrax]

I need to see that Dictionary...but myself I am a real musician too that gigs so I gave my definitions I came sort of close.....but the thing is for the other comment.....you have to have structure to a song.....try letting any A&R on the planet listen to an unstructured song, especially RnB.....you unfortunately will get laughed at if you try playing something you might want to get signed with as a demo or an example of your work and skillz the first thing they will ask you......where is the intro?....where is the Hook?......where is the song?......at that point you can wing it and try to explain that you think that songs aren't structured......after all there's a reason why music theory exists and guess what??? it does apply to all music including Hip Hop and RnB......