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EDM Song Structure: Arrange Your Loop into a Full Song

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   So you’ve created a killer 8-bar loop and want to take your great idea
   to a full song, but don’t know where to go from here? We’ve all been
   there before!

   The good news is that you don’t need to feel disheartened: this is a
   super common problem that happens to all music producers, and
   thankfully there are some very straightforward steps you can take to
   get out of the loop and to a finished arrangement….

   We get stuck because it can be very difficult to imagine each
   individual section of a track before it exists. So, how do we fix
   this?
   Start 2022 the right way! Download your FREE “New Producer Starter
   Pack” here.

   Let’s look into EDM song structure, and use that knowledge as a
   template for our own tracks almost like one of those Paint-by-Numbers
   books. If you use the techniques outlined below, you’ll be writing full
   tracks and streamlining your workflow in no time!

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EDM Song Structure

   So what exactly are the benefits of learning EDM song structure? Well,
   for one, by learning the common ways in which other artists create and
   sculpt their songs, we can use that as a template for when we get stuck
   in creating our own music.

   Additionally, using known song structures helps increase relatability
   and appeal to a wider audience. The practice of purposely arranging
   your music in a carefully crafted way is called arrangement, and is
   used in all types of music – not just Electronic Dance Music.

   In most Electronic Dance Music genres, your track will be in 4/4 time.
   This means that in every bar (also known as a measure), there will be 4
   beats, and that the quarter note (the kick on every beat), will carry
   the song.

   In this format, a bar is 4 beats, and a musical phrase is usually a
   multiple of 2 or 4 bars. In music theory, a phrase is generally just a
   grouping of bars whose energy flows nicely. For example, your build
   might contain two separate phrases; one that first hints at the melody
   followed by a second that introduces a snare or clap build up.

   Phrases build up, take down, or play around with the energy of a
   section of your track to build interest, and create and release
   tension.

   However, let’s take a step back and see what the main overall sections
   of an EDM song structure are.

   They are as follows:
     * Intro
     * Verse
     * Build up
     * Drop

   Each of these distinct sections contains elements of your loop
   simplified, modified, or generally expanded upon. Knowing what makes up
   these sections and how they’re crafted is at the heart of how you
   transform your loop into a full-fledged song.

   Now, let’s see a rundown of which elements each section usually
   contains.

Intro

   The intro is usually the simplest part of your entire track. It will
   usually contain a stripped down beat to allow DJ’s to more easily
   transition into your track, or – if you’re making a radio or Spotify
   edit – will have a very short 2 to 4 bar phrase introducing the main
   theme of your track. The intro also sets the pace and expectations for
   what the track will deliver. (Will it be a break-neck speed drum-n-bass
   track? Will it be a more chilled-out deep house track?)

Verse

   The verse is more complex than the intro, but often less complex than
   the drop (or at least, conveying less energy). In vocal driven music,
   this is where the majority of the storytelling of songwriting occurs,
   but in a lot of EDM, this is where you establish your melodic motifs.
   These motifs – or small musical ideas – should hint at your main drop
   melody without giving away your big, exciting, energetic drop.

Build up

   The build up typically contains risers, repetitive melodic motifs, and
   is generally rather short (a notable exception to this rule might be an
   8-minute trance track). When creating build ups, you can also consider
   stripping down your percussion and drums to the bare essentials, in
   order to juxtapose to the heavy drop.

Drop

   The drop is the hardest hitting part of your track. This is where the
   main hook of your song lies, and where the energy in your track should
   be the highest. You want people to get up and dance when they hear your
   drop! The drop can be very simple, or very complex; this heavily relies
   on genre, so make sure to listen to your favorite songs and use them as
   reference.

Structures

   Many songs you hear on the radio or in the club utilize similar song
   structures, with some key variation to keep it interesting. When
   deciding how to structure your own track, listening and referencing
   your favorite track in the same genre can be immensely valuable, as
   that track is likely commercially successful and has a structure that
   is proven and works.

   As a high level overview, structuring your song is a bit like designing
   a roller-coaster. We want to bring the listener on a journey with the
   emotion and energy from the track. This will help keep your listeners
   engaged, prevent them from becoming bored, and hopefully keep playing
   your track for days, months, and years to come.

   You can even analyse the structure of existing songs and draw in an
   “energy map” using an automation line, as shown here.

   There are a few ways of representing song structure, but by far the
   most common is to use letters to represent each part of a track. For
   example, a common song structure in pop music goes as follows:

   A B D B D E D A

   In this instance, the letter A stands for an intro or outtro, B stands
   for a verse, D stands for a chorus or drop, and E stands for the bridge
   of the song, adding variety. Using this notation, we can quickly and
   easily create and plan our song’s structure without getting too deep
   into the details and slowing us down.

   If we wanted to use a similar structure for EDM, we could use A B D B D
   A or A B D E D A, both of which are fairly basic but common structures.
   In this instance, however, the E section is an extended breakdown,
   bridge, or a new section or extended verse.

   Now we understand how song structure notation works, let’s look at a
   common example of a more complex EDM song structure.

   A B C D B C D A

   This structure breaks down like so:
     * A: These are the intro and outtro of the track. They are typically
       8 or 16 bars in length. In some genres, you may have 4 bar intro
       and outtros; it’s important to reference the genre you’re producing
       to ensure your song fits in well with the genre.
     * B: This is the verse in your track. The first verse is typically 16
       bars, and the second verse is 16 or 32 bars.
     * C: This is the build of the track. Both builds are typically 8 bars
       in length, although in some genres can be 4 or even 10 or 12 bars
       long.
     * D: This is the drop of your track. A drop can vary in length but
       are usually 8 to 16 bars. The second drop is typically either the
       same length as the first, or slightly longer to develop a little
       bit of additional energy.

   EDM Song Structure - Track Breakdown

   This is only one example of how you can structure your song, feel free
   to deviate as much or as little as you want. During the music
   production process, there’s tons of room for experimentation,
   innovation, and self-expression; however, the vast majority of the
   time, you do not want to experiment with EDM song structure. By doing
   so you make your track more difficult to understand. No need to
   reinvent the wheel!

Song Structure and Genre

   Now for a quick note on genre. Genre itself dictates a lot of how your
   track should be structured. A tech house track is going to have a
   different song structure than a future bass track, which will be
   different than an EDM trap track. Additionally, the length of the track
   also fairly tightly correlates to the genre, with pop-y tracks being
   shorter and club and house tracks being on the longer side.

   For example, future bass typically follow a more pop-like structure,
   with longer fleshed out melodic verses and short 4 bar intros and
   outtros. Most house music, however, has a significantly longer intro
   and outtro; 8 to 16 bars, sometimes even 32. House music also typically
   has fewer purely melodic elements focused in the verses and breakdowns,
   and instead focuses on the vibe, atmosphere, and groove, building up to
   an epic drop.

   Let’s take a look at [16]“Chained For Love – B2A & Anklebreaker Remix”.
   This is a hardstyle track and has a song structure of:

   A B C D B C D A

   Where A stands for your intro and outtro, B is your verse, C is the
   build, and D is the drop. This is an extremely common structure in
   hardstyle tracks; the verse is also typically split into a more vocal
   or lower energy first half, and the second half is where your
   saw-driven leads come in to introduce components of the drop melody.

   Now let’s examine a future bass track, [17]“Lifeline – LODIS, Josh
   Rubin”. This particular track has a structure like so:

   A B E C D B E C D A

   Note that this genre has a significantly longer intro than the previous
   hardstyle track, yet the overarching structure itself is remarkably
   similar. The key difference is the addition of E; which is a breakdown
   or pre-build. This component lowers the energy right before the build,
   allowing the producer to create a bigger feeling build.

   Finally, let’s take a look at a big room / EDM track. We’ll use
   [18]“Cold – Timmy Trumpet” as an example here. He utilizes the
   following structure for his track:

   B C D B C D A

   “Cold” also shares a similar structure to the other tracks. In fact,
   it’s virtually identical to “Chained For Love”, save for the lack of
   any sort of intro, even though the sounds and overall general vibe of
   the genre are strikingly different.

EDM Song Structure and Arrangement

   Now we understand how songs are structured and how to structure our own
   track, we need to decide on the genre we want our loop to fit, or what
   genre the loop already fits. Then, identify which section of a track
   your loop fits into. Is it a heavy and energetic drop, or is it more a
   verse or breakdown?

   Once you’ve figured out these overarching details, we can start to
   think about how we want to structure our track. You can use your DAW or
   even just a piece of paper to map out each section of our song, and
   what should go where. Now it’s as simple as filling in the gaps with
   elements from your loop, and you’re well on your way to finishing your
   track!

   Let’s go over some of the common scenarios you’ll find yourself in.

Starting with the Drop

   Your loop is energetic and pumping; this is your drop. Let’s use an A B
   C D B C D A structure for our track, just like the “Chained For Love –
   B2A & Anklebreaker Remix” prior example.

   EDM Song Structure - Straring with a Drop

   Now you’ve identified that you have a drop, let’s expand it to two
   sections with a little bit of melodic or rhythmic variation on the
   second iteration.

   Now we’ve gotten a full drop, let’s take a look at the build up. We can
   use more filtered leads and pads, and switch up the snare or clap to a
   contrasting rhythm to build tension. We’ll open up the filters and
   speed up the percussion as the drop builds to further build up that
   tension before the drop.

   Let’s take a look at the intro and outtro. Take the melody, simplify it
   and the instrumentation, and use a stripped down drum pattern. You can
   also experiment with some low and simple bass or some rhythmically
   simple chord patterns. The outtro can be as simple as the intro, but
   instead of bringing in elements, we take them out.

   The verses should be a contrasting force to the drop, while still
   maintaining a similar vibe. To quickly get down a verse idea, you can
   take the drop melody, take it down to a lower register with some more
   interesting rhythmic chord structures that build nicely into the build
   up. We can also add our second verse, build, and drops.

   EDM Song Structure - Starging with a Drop 5

Starting with a Breakdown, Verse or Intro

   So your loop isn’t super energetic, maybe it fits well as a verse or
   intro. To generate your placeholder verses, take the idea and evolve it
   with moving drum patterns and chord patterns. The build up will then
   come more naturally, and you can introduce a switch-up in drum patterns
   to help contrast this section from the verses and drop. Work up the
   energy in the build up, adding faster drums and risers and other
   effects. After this build is complete, usually you’ll have a solid idea
   for the drop itself; if not, don’t worry! Take your verse idea, take
   apart a one or two bar section, and build upon it to make it as high
   energy as possible.

Referencing Existing Material

   If you’re still struggling to build out your loop into a full track
   scaffold, try using your favorite song as reference. In this example,
   we’ll use HOLIDAY by Lil Nas X, a pop and rap song.

   Import the track into your DAW, and set the tempo equal to that of the
   track. Sometimes your DAW will do this for you, but if not, you can
   usually find it easily on Beatport or other sites.

   EDM Song Structure - Referencing Existing Material

   Take a listen to the song in full. As you listen, mark down where each
   change occurs in the song, and what the upcoming section is.Take a
   listen to the song in full. As you listen, mark down where each change
   occurs in the song, and what the upcoming section is.

   EDM Song Structure- Referencing Existing Material 2

   After going through the entire track, you’ll have an accurate map of
   the full track, and can use the markers as guidelines on how you can
   structure your own track.
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Conclusion

   One of the hardest parts of music production is actually finishing your
   own tracks, and not ending up with a hard drive full of unfinished
   loops. However, using song structuring techniques, we can use them as
   scaffolding for us to write better music, faster. When you create each
   section, make sure that each section captures and holds the user’s
   interest in its own right; the best songs are interesting throughout,
   (even in the intros and outtros!), not just during the drops.

   What do you struggle with most when it comes to EDM song structure?
   Let us know in the comments!
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