What is Bridge in a Song and How to Write a Great One

What is Bridge

Okay, We all know what a bridge is. Right? Let’s know about what is bridge in a song in the next para. So basically, the bridge is a structure that helps us in crossing either side to any Rivers, Paths, or Railways, and any other obstacles. So it means that the bridge plays a very important role in our life for us to meet with our destination.

You must be thinking this in the lesson on the bridge in music, why I’m talking about the real bridge. But let me tell you there is a large similarity between the real bridge and the bridge in music. But lead their way to an end destination that is Chorus in a Song.

So let’s get to know what is a bridge in music this time.

If you are writing song for the first time, you must read: How to write a Song for the first time.

What is Bridge in Music

The bridge in music or a song is the passage that links the Verse with the Chorus of the song. Generally, it is used after the 2nd chorus and the next verse of the song to make a connection with the chorus. Sometimes, in order to make variations, the bridge is also used after the chorus and before verse 2.

As I always tell every musician that there isn’t any rule of writing or making a song. You as an artist are totally free to do experiments with your songs. So placing a bridge in a song depends upon you and how do you like for your song to sound.

What is Bridge in a Song with Example

Let me tell you in the beginning that bridges are very popular among Pop songs. That helps the song to highlight the Chorus even more. Many of the songs use the bridge in a variety of ways. Let me give you an example of how it is used in one of Zayn Malik’s hit Songs.

I am taking an example of the song ‘DuskTill Dawn’ by “Zayn Malik”. This song is a great example of a song having a bridge placed between the Post-Chorus and the Chorus of the song.

The music here has been slowed down to create a build-up for the main chorus. The lines are used in a repetitive manner instead of using a long paragraph. And in the last line of the bridge, the line was stretched high up with a bang to connect with the chorus. This is how a unique bridge in this beautiful song was made.

Dusk Till Dawn Link: https://youtu.be/tt2k8PGm-TI

Do you need a bridge in a song?

Okay, so there are many artists who didn’t use the bridge in some of their songs. What does that mean? That means Yes, the songs can also be made without writing the bridge.

I will say it again. Making a song/music is an art, there’s no rule for it. So the thing that doesn’t have any rules, means it can be shaped however we want it to be. Either you can use 3 bridges in your single song, or you can create a whole song without using it at all. It all depends upon you and your creativity.

How do you write a good bridge?

We all want our song to sound unique and catchy. For that, the most important thing is to write a beautiful Chorus. Because the Chorus is what going to be in your listeners’ minds who will be listening to your song for the first time. So the Chorus should be catchy.

But before Chorus, there comes another important part that’s going to help to make your Chorus sound more appealing. And that is a Good Bridge. The bridge creates a build-up to the Chorus or to any other part of the song you wish using the bridge before.

So in order to write a good bridge, there are some points that should be kept in mind while writing one. Below I’m writing those Tips to write a good bridge in a song so keep on reading further.

1. Create a New Melody for the Bridge

Okay, so here what you can do is create a whole new melody that should be different from Chorus and Verse. Either that new melody of the bridge could be a solo vocal or you can do it in a duo too.

2. Start the bridge in a new Scale

This is the trick many artists use. So when finishing the chorus, they suddenly move to either upper-scale or to lower scale for the bridge and then continue the Chorus on the same elevated scale. This gives the song a totally new mood at the end and the audience feels more alive with this.

3. Select appropriate Location

If you want your bridge to sound beautiful, then the location is the most important aspect. You have to decide whether the bridge will be placed between the post-chorus and the main chorus, or it will be between the verse and the chorus in order to create a build-up for the hook-line i.e Chorus.

4. Change the Tempo

Another great trick you can do in your bridge is to change its tempo from the whole song. Then you can either make the chorus in the same tempo as the bridge or you can also keep it in the tempo as the song. There are many artists who slow down in the bridge and again come to the same speed in the chorus. This will give your song a unique vision.

5. Use new Chord Structure

Imagine listening to a whole song on the same Chord progression and suddenly a different chord hit our ears, wouldn’t that sound cool and young? Here you can change the chord progression of your bridge as per the suitability of the track. But remember, it shouldn’t go off-beat. Always remember to keep the melody.

And now last but not least…

6. Keep Experimenting

The best way to create a great bridge or any other part of the song is keep on doing the experiments. Beacuse the more you spend time creating new and unique music, the more you will become the master of it. So keep on doing something with the bridge, you will get the great results.

How long should a bridge be in a song

How many lines is a bridge in a song? The main work of the bridge is to connect the two parts of the song. By adding creativity, you can use it in yhe way you want. So coming to the question how long should a bridge be in a song, Most producers keep 3 to 4 lines. Those can be either repetitive or can be 4 different lines.
Again it depends on you what kind of song you are making. If it is a slow, you can use 3-4 different lines for the bridge. But if it’s for fast or pop song, there can be 4-6 lines in which, 2 of them could keep on repeating.

Can you end a song with a bridge?             

There aren’t many songs that end with a bridge, that means there are the songs that ends with it. “It’s too late” by ‘Carol King’ is the song that ends with a bridge.

Video link: https://youtu.be/VkKxmnrRVHo

So the answer comes here is Yes you can end a song with a bridge. By using this trick, you can also create a unique track available in the industry currently. You could get a standout chance. As you see, your creativity is what going to keep it at the edge.

Can a song have 2 bridges?           

Yes of course a song can have 2 bridges. Those can be used in either ways:

• Between Post-chorus and chorus as usual both the times.
• The first bridge you can place in between Verse and Chorus and the other one between pre-chorus and chorus.

This is the way you can use it to make your song more beautiful and different.

The song “Things we said Today” by ‘The Beatles’ has 2 bridges.

Bridge 1 “Someday, when we are dreaming…”

Bridge 2 “Me, I’m just the lucky kind…”

Song Video link: https://youtu.be/NItAlTsPuQg

Can you put a verse after a bridge        

Well this isn’t very common practice to use verse after a bridge but it’snit that it can’t be used. Mark James in his song “Suspicious Minds” proved us that this can be done. A Verse can be used after a Bridge in music.

‘Oh let our love survive’ is the bridge and after 4 lines when the bridge ends, James placed Verse after that starting from ‘ We are caught in a trap’.

So the answer is yes, You can put a verse after a bridge.

Also Read: How to get Signed by a label

Is bridge and pre-chorus the same

No. There is a huge difference between a  bridge and a pre-chorus. The work of the pre-chorus is to give a build-up only for chorus and can only be used before it. But the bridge, it can be used in either place you want. In order to give your music a twist and a different touch, bridge can be used.

So in short, No, bridge and chorus are not the same.

 What comes after a bridge in a song or music

Almost everything. Yes, you’ve heard it right. You can use a verse after a bridge, a chorus if you like, you can  also use another bridge just after it. As your taste of music, you can place the format anyhow until it sounds great.

Mostly, The Chorus is what comes after the bridge in music. So you can think what you could choose accordingly.

 What is the difference between verse, chorus and the bridge?

A song is made using a general format : Intro – Verse – Chorus — Verse — Chorus —Bridge — Chorus — Outro.

To know about the format of a song, Read this: What is the format of the song?

Every part have there own importance in a song. So every part Being equally important means they all are different in their way. Following are the differences between verse, chorus, and intro.

Verse – Verse is used to tell the story of a song in the beginning and after the chorus. There can be many verses as per the requirement. The others are termed as Verse1, Verse2, and further continues.

Chorus – Chorus is the main part of a song. Here the main words of the sing is written. İt can also be a hook line of the song. The Chorus is always repetitive. Everytime it comes in a song, the lines are repeated with a catchy music.

Bridge – Bridge is used to build-up a hype for the Chorus. Or you can also use it any place for various purposes according to your needs.

Cover Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash