Originally Posted by: RazboTwo part question: Does anyone have tips or ides for writing bridges, and managing transitions from one part of a song to another?

When I write a song, the chorus and verses, both lyrics and music, usually come pretty quick. I usually have a melody in my head and write the lyrics, and usually have something I feel is "hooky" for the chorus. Then I put the music to it.

But then, I feel obligated to have some sort of bridge. There I get stumped. Lyrically (to me), a bridge is sort of a fill in for the story of the lyrics. It can pull everything together, tie up loose ends, or make stand out statement; different things like that. I can usually come up with something that fits lyrically, but have the darndest time musically. It usually just sounds "made up" to me.

And then, transitions... I don't like to repeat the same old "hold the last chord and build up". I try to create chordal transitions, but they sound either redundant to the previous progression, or just sound out of place. Transitions are probably the hardest thing for me.

Anyone able to give me an "Ah Ha"! ?

When I stopped thinking of 'guitar solutions' for this stuff, I stopped having the issue. It was like writing with Lego blocks and I was trying to find a way to use a 'four peg white skinny one just because'.

Listen to Heart's 'Crazy on You'. The transition between verse and chorus does have a little guitar lick but is largely harmonized vocal build up.

Sometimes the transition is a part of the songs that sets up a little tension to be released in the chorus. Sometimes it's a slight variation on the main riff (either verse or chorus).

I think the thing that killed me was trying to find a distinct, different riff to squish in to the song. So I stopped. I stopped thinking of riffs and just opened up my head to what the song needed irrespective of what the guitar needed.

Take 'Love Gun', a drum roll...It just depends on the song and whether ot not it is best served with a subtle transition, a full on stop, a build up or whatever.

I mean, because I have a huge amount of work obligation, I am writing very slowly, so what do I know from nothin'?

I do know that I stopped feeling the way you did when I stopped trying to make the answer another guitar riff.