Sometimes a change is as good as a holiday

I love bridges, there is something about the way a good bridge can take you to somewhere else in a song and then gently take you back to the familiarity of a verse or chorus that makes it a very important piece of your songwriting armoury.

From time to time I get asked to judge a songwriting competition and more often than not the thing that I suggest the most when asked the question 'how can I improve my song?' is this:

"This song needs a bridge, go and write one".

Good bridges are hard to find and are even harder to write. It's not enough to just write a departure from the norm that you are creating with your verses and choruses. The departure has to be purposeful.

What do I mean by that? Well, that is a good question. Purposeful is the only word that I can use at this time to describe what I mean.

Lyrically a bridge can introduce another point of view, be an extension of the song story or even be a devils advocate toi the point of view that you maybe putting across.

Musically it can be whatever you want it to be however there are a couple of things to consider:

1. Make sure the entry and exit points of the bridge are not clumsily done. Take into consideration the melody, rhythm and flow of the song.

2. Dont make it too long. This is not a time to introduce a second movement to your song. Generally bridges are between eight and sixteen bars in length (if its eight bars in length it can also be called a 'middle eight')

NB: If there's more of a difference between a bridge and a middle eight than just the amount of bars they goes for please let me know.

Bridges add character and uniqueness to your songs. They break up monotony and pleasently surprise the listener or possibly prepare them for a key change (pop tunes are a great example of this concept)

Now is the time to start learning the art of a good bridge. You will find your songs springing more into life by doing so.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

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