Bridge (music)
Contrasting section of music / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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.
![{\n\\relative c' {\n \\clef treble \n \\time 4/4\n \\key c \\major\n <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" } } }\n <a, e' g! cis> <d fis a c!> < g, d' f! b> \\bar "||"\n} }\n](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/g/z/gzoj2ri900b0lv9tbdvgsisqx6qczrx/gzoj2ri9.png)
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.
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]