Pre-chorus without a chorus - Sibelius Tutorial

- [Instructor] The function of the pre-chorus is to raise a song's intensity and propel us into a chorus. Sometimes a pre-chorus is described by other terminology like the lift or the climb or, somewhat confusingly, the B section. Typically, we'll hear a pre-chorus in songs where the verse needs an extra push to get into the chorus. Most pre-choruses are short and typically no more than eight bars. And while the lyrics of a pre-chorus can change each time around, though they often don't, the melody is always the same. You can find great examples of pre-choruses in Katy Perry's Firework, Metallica's Enter Sandman, and John Lennon's Imagine. Pre-choruses are an excellent tool for building anticipation toward a chorus and that's why playing with the expectation they create can be so effective. Because a pre-chorus is typically a fixed piece of information, our ear treats it as signal that the chorus is coming. Let me show you how we can use this technique with our song example, I'm Crying Because You Made Me. Take a listen to it again in its original form. ♪ I sleep late ♪ ♪ I wake whenever you call ♪ ♪ I'm not great ♪ ♪ Those days when you never call ♪ ♪ If only you ♪ ♪ Knew how much you mean to me ♪ ♪ Then maybe you ♪ ♪ Would stop bein' mean to me ♪ ♪ The tears in my eyes ♪ ♪ Are not a surprise ♪ ♪ I'm crying because you made me ♪ ♪ Because I'm a sensitive guy ♪ ♪ It's not a surprise ♪ ♪ I'm crying because you made me ♪ ♪ Because you made me ♪ Now I'm gonna play this song, but instead of going to a chorus after the first pre-chorus, I'm gonna jump back into a another verse. Take a listen. ♪ I sleep late ♪ ♪ I wake whenever you call ♪ ♪ I'm not great ♪ ♪ Those days when you never call ♪ ♪ If only you ♪ ♪ Knew how much you mean to me ♪ ♪ Then maybe you ♪ ♪ Would stop being mean to me ♪ ♪ I don't date ♪ ♪ I make chicken dinner for one ♪ ♪ I clean my plate ♪ ♪ I gain weight it's not very fun ♪ ♪ If only you ♪ ♪ Knew how much you mean to me ♪ ♪ Then maybe you ♪ ♪ Would stop being mean to me ♪ ♪ The tears in my eyes are not a surprise ♪ ♪ I'm crying because you made ♪ ♪ Because I'm a sensitive guy ♪ ♪ It's not a surprise ♪ ♪ I'm crying because you made me ♪ ♪ Because you made me ♪ Did you see how the shift in the form plays with the ears' expectation that the chorus is coming? It's pretty cool, right? Some great examples of songs that have a pre-chorus followed by a verse are Stevie Wonder's Overjoyed, Al Green's Let's Stay Together, and Billy Joel's Piano Man. Since the pre-chorus is such a powerful sign that the chorus is coming, you can play with the expectation it creates in all kinds of ways. Try following the pre-chorus with not only a verse but a bridge or maybe even an intro. One fun way to test this technique out is to try it with existing songs and listen to the effect it creates. Or better yet, try it with your own songs.