Bridge (music)

This article is about bridges in musical composition. For the component of a musical instrument, see Bridge (instrument). For the benefit concerts organized by Neil Young and his wife, see Bridge School Benefit. For the bridge in the 32-bar form, see 32-bar form § Middle eight.
{ \relative c' { \clef treble \time 4/4 \key c \major <e gis b d>1_\markup { \concat { \translate #'(-3.5 . 0) { "C: III" \raise #1 \small "7" \hspace #5 "VI" \raise #1 \small "7" \hspace #5.5 "II" \raise #1 \small "7" \hspace #5.5 "V" \raise #1 \small "7" } } } <a, e' g! cis> <d fis a c!> < g, d' f! b> \bar "||" } }
The ragtime progression (E7-A7-D7-G7) often appears in the bridge of jazz standards.[1] The III7-VI7-II7-V7 (or V7/V/V/V–V7/V/V–V7/V–V7) leads back to C major (I) but is itself indefinite in key.

In music, especially Western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section that prepares for the return of the original material section. In a piece in which the original material or melody is referred to as the "A" section, the bridge may be the third eight-bar phrase in a 32-bar form (the B in AABA), or may be used more loosely in verse-chorus form, or, in a compound AABA form, used as a contrast to a full AABA section.

The bridge is often used to contrast with and prepare for the return of the verse and the chorus. "The b section of the popular song chorus is often called the bridge or release."[2]

  1. ^ Boyd, Bill (1997). Jazz Chord Progressions, p. 56. ISBN 0-7935-7038-7.
  2. ^ Benward & Saker (2003). Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. I, p. 318. Seventh Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0. Emphasis original.