Hey, Noel might a nice comment on the forum asking how I got that “rising chorus” edge and sound and energy in Freeway, so I just thought I would post it here as a songwriting technique.
First of all:
Key = D
1.) I made sure to hit some minor chords (like B minor) in the verse because I wasn’t going to be able to hit any minor chords outside of the verse. That forced a use of the B minor in the 3rd and 6th measures of the 8 bar verses. This mixes the “brew” that will allow what is to come next to “explode.”
2.) I used a 5 bar prechorus, so the last bar could be a real suspended “hold” to create extra tension and suspense. That hold in bar 4 and 5 of the pre chorus is an A to A7sus. That chord chemistry is precise. No other chords would have worked on the guitar to get that sound.
3.) The Chorus starts on the 4 so I can go up again one more time to hold it out…G(4)….FREE------A(5)…..Way
The chorus is split in two, the first half goes G to A, but the second half stays on tonic while using a similar melody, just lowered.
This way I could make it sound repetitive without actually being repetitive, if that makes sense.
Also, I was particular about key. I chose D because on guitar it would not have worked in another key for that ringing sound. For example, the G in the chorus would not have worked as an F on guitar because I needed those open strings, and the hold in the prechorus pretty much had to be A7sus, and the main riff would not have worked if I could not have used D formation.
So, I was pretty much forced to use the key of D for that particular sound.
Anyway, that’s how I did it Noel. Hope it helps others if they are interested.
The most popular song style right now is V, PreChorus, Chorus, V, PreChorus, Chorus, Bridge, Ch, CH, that’s what I try and use this type of style a lot (sometimes omitting the bridge we can be overkill sometimes).
I really appreciate this detailed explanation. It's great to get inside your thinking and to see how you set everything up. I like that thought about restricting minor chords to the verse. It's something that has never occurred to me before. Also, the use of that 5th bar in the prechorus is excellent.
As I said in the song thread, the way you've managed to create a build up of excitement in the prechorus is a credit to your songwriting and song arranging skills. I'm off to have a practice now!
One of the only techniques I remember nearly rote from Pat Pattison's songwriting class is that pre-choruses are almost always more effective with an odd number of bars. Every pop song I write uses 3 or 5 now, and I think he's right about that.
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