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Thread: Verse-Chorus (V-C) vs. A-B

  1. #1
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    Jan 2012
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    Default Verse-Chorus (V-C) vs. A-B

    Was checking out a tune I've always loved that came as part of the Pop 400 playlist (I believe) - "Tempted", by the group Squeeze (actually composed by Paul Carrack). The song as it was downloaded was set to play 1x, but when I changed it to play 2x, it only repeated the Chorus ("C"). Is this a feature of the Player when V-C are used? I changed the V to A, & the C to B, & then it played the whole song (minus the Intro) twice.

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by MCJazzer View Post
    Was checking out a tune I've always loved that came as part of the Pop 400 playlist (I believe) - "Tempted", by the group Squeeze (actually composed by Paul Carrack). The song as it was downloaded was set to play 1x, but when I changed it to play 2x, it only repeated the Chorus ("C"). Is this a feature of the Player when V-C are used? I changed the V to A, & the C to B, & then it played the whole song (minus the Intro) twice.
    As you discovered, using the V rehearsal mark differently than the player expects can cause problems.

    The player treats the "V" rehearsal mark the same as the "IN" mark.

    They are played only once (unless specifically instructed otherwise by a D.C. or D.S.)

    That's because (coming from jazz terminology) a VERSE is most often an entirely separate lyrical interlude (often played freely or Rubato) at the start.
    http://www.sonic.net/~jazz4/glossary.html

    Verse = vocal introduction
    Intro = musical introduction

    For the iReal pro player, you will be better served using the A and B rehearsal marks.
    In pop/folk/country/bluegrass etc. the A-section is usually the "verse" and the B-section is the "chorus" (sometimes the "bridge")

    This is where the term AABA comes from (2verses, bridge, final verse) for describing the form of many popular songs.

    If it's really, really important to you, you can add "verse" and "chorus" using text which will not affect the player function.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verse–chorus_form

    )BOB
    Last edited by pdxdjazz; 01-13-2020 at 08:32 PM.

  3. #3
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    I'd like to expand Bob's explanation of verse and chorus by putting it into a historical context. In doing so, I'll probably become pedantic and long-winded (two of my less endearing traits), but here goes…

    Traditional song ballads tell stories. Their structure is strophic, meaning that they repeat the same music with changing lyrics. One strophic form is the verse–refrain, exemplified by the traditional ballad "Yankee Doodle". In this case, the first verse begins "Yankee Doodle went to town" and the refrain follows "Yankee Doodle keep it up." The second verse begins "Father and I went down to camp" followed by the refrain. The third verse begins "And then we saw a thousand men" followed by the refrain. There are many other verse–refrain strophes to follow. In each case, the verse tells the ongoing story and the chorus sums things up.

    A popular song example that most folks are familiar with is "The Band Played On," the 1895 hit by Palmer and Ward. In this case, in each of three strophes there is a story-telling verse followed by the refrain (or chorus): "Casey would waltz with the strawberry blond and the band played on…" A similar structure can be found in the 1892 hit "After the Ball."

    Things changed in the 1920s with the rise of true musical shows. In contrast to reviews, with many separate "acts" performing their own material, music shows were organized around a story with songs specifically written to further the plot. In this case, the verse was most often not sung in rhythm and were written to set up the context for the refrain. Often the refrain would be repeated (perhaps by a different singer or with dance). While the verse had no specific structure, refrains were most often 32-bars long with either an AABA or ABAC structure. For examples, look at The New Real Book which usually includes verses with vocal songs.

    As songs were adapted by jazz musicians for instrumental arrangements, the verses were generally omitted and the 32-bar refrain was repeated many times. Each refrain is referred to as a "chorus" and that is the terminology we use today.

  4. #4
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    Thx, appreciate it. In regards to the verses as done in Broadway show tunes/jazz standards, I always assumed the verse descended from the opera song form recitative-aria, since musicals descended from operetta, which descended from opera. Well, sort of, my music history prof would prob. smack me for that simplified recitation (ha! see what I did there?).

  5. #5
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    Well…sort of. In baroque opera, the recitative was more spoken (and often quickly) than sung, in contrast to a verse in a musical show which is carefully and slowly sung; and a recatative was typically much longer than a verse. A baroque aria was about the emotion felt by the vocalist, had a limited set of lyrics which were repeated, and was written to exhibit the vocal technique of the singer. A modern song is usually shorter and much more "wordy" than an aria, and is not typically constructed to show off the vocal virtuosity of the singer. As for operetta vs musicals, there is a good summary of the differences (which I will not plagiarize here) at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operetta.

    If you are as much a "jazzer" as your user name, I'll bet you can take a better solo than your music history prof can, and you wouldn't smack him if he couldn't make the changes! I'm sure he'd be pleased that you remembered his lectures about classical opera.
    Last edited by Keith88; 06-11-2017 at 08:02 PM.

  6. #6

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    A baroque aria style might be in development...
    Of course, I could be wrong about that....
    )BOB

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