P33

Objectives

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

  • Explain the four-part song structure: intro, verse, chorus, bridge.
  • Write four patterns that progress through these sections.
  • Chain the patterns into a 4-section song.
  • Recognise song structure in popular music.

Musical concept: what is a song?

A song is a piece of music with structure. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Most popular songs have a structure like this:

  • Intro: 4–16 bars. Introduces the beat, builds tension.
  • Verse: 8–16 bars. Tells the story. Lower energy than the chorus.
  • Chorus: 8–16 bars. The β€œhook”. Higher energy, melody returns.
  • Bridge: 4–8 bars. A contrast β€” different chord progression, different energy.
  • Outro: 4–16 bars. Returns to the verse theme, ends.

Allen (Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers) calls this the dance-music song structure: intro β†’ breakdown β†’ build β†’ peak β†’ breakdown β†’ peak β†’ outro. The breakdown is the verse. The peak is the chorus. The build is the bridge. Electronic dance music (EDM) tends to use longer sections than pop music, but the principle is the same.

Hewitt (Music Theory for Computer Musicians) describes the classical song form as ABAB or AABA: section A (verse), section B (chorus), section A again, section B again. The PO-33’s pattern chaining gives you 16 patterns (A, B, C, D, …), which is enough to build an AABA form.

Sidebar β€” pattern capacity. The PO-33 has 16 patterns in memory. Each pattern is one bar (16 steps). So you can chain up to 16 bars in a song, or 16 different one-bar loops that you can arrange in any order. Real PO-33 songs are usually 16–64 bars long. Ravine: Phoenix firmware supports up to 16 patterns per project.

The four patterns of a song

Let’s build a four-pattern song:

  • Pattern 1: Intro (drums only, slow build).
  • Pattern 2: Verse (drums + bass + sample, medium energy).
  • Pattern 3: Chorus (drums + bass + sample + chord, full energy).
  • Pattern 4: Bridge (drums + sample only, contrast).

Writing the four patterns

Pattern 1: Intro β€” kick only on step 1.

  1. Erase the pattern.
  2. Press WRITE, PLAY.
  3. Step 1: pad 9 (kick).
  4. Press WRITE to exit.

Pattern 2: Verse β€” kick + snare + bass + sample.

  1. Erase the pattern.
  2. Press WRITE, PLAY.
  3. Step 1: pad 9 (kick), pad 1 (bass), pad 1 (sample).
  4. Step 5: pad 10 (snare).
  5. Step 9: pad 1 (bass), pad 1 (sample).
  6. Step 11: pad 9 (kick).
  7. Step 13: pad 10 (snare).
  8. Press WRITE to exit.

Pattern 3: Chorus β€” kick + snare + bass + sample + chord.

  1. Erase the pattern.
  2. Press WRITE, PLAY.
  3. Step 1: pad 9 (kick), pad 1 (bass), pad 1 (sample), pad 1 (chord root).
  4. Step 5: pad 10 (snare), pad 1 (chord β€” same note, sustained).
  5. Step 9: pad 1 (bass), pad 1 (sample), pad 1 (chord).
  6. Step 11: pad 9 (kick).
  7. Step 13: pad 10 (snare), pad 1 (chord).
  8. Press WRITE to exit.

Note: we used pad 1 for the bass, sample, and chord. That’s because they all play the same note (C, the root). The PO-33’s voice-stealing algorithm prioritises the most recent triggers. If the chord sustains, it will mask the bass and sample. This is fine β€” we want the chord to dominate the chorus.

Pattern 4: Bridge β€” kick + sample only.

  1. Erase the pattern.
  2. Press WRITE, PLAY.
  3. Step 1: pad 9 (kick), pad 1 (sample).
  4. Step 9: pad 1 (sample).
  5. Press WRITE to exit.

Chaining the patterns

To chain the patterns on the PO-33:

  1. Hold PATTERN (the PO-33’s β€œβ ›β€ key).
  2. Press pad 1 (select pattern 1, append to chain).
  3. Press pad 2 (select pattern 2, append).
  4. Press pad 3 (select pattern 3, append).
  5. Press pad 4 (select pattern 4, append).
  6. Release PATTERN.

The chain now plays pattern 1 β†’ 2 β†’ 3 β†’ 4 β†’ 1 β†’ 2 β†’ 3 β†’ 4 β†’ … forever.

To stop the chain, press the STOP button (a square symbol).

Sidebar β€” chain length. The PO-33’s chain can hold up to 16 patterns. Our chain has 4. We could add more (e.g., 8 verses, 4 choruses) by pressing the same pattern number multiple times.

Live transitions

The PO-33 lets you jump to a different pattern while the chain is playing. This is how you transition between sections live:

  • During the verse (pattern 2), hold PATTERN + press pad 3 to jump to the chorus (pattern 3).
  • During the chorus (pattern 3), hold PATTERN + press pad 1 to jump back to the intro (pattern 1).

This is β€œlive arrangement” β€” you decide the song structure in real time.

Guided exercise: a four-section song

Success criteria: a song that cycles through intro β†’ verse β†’ chorus β†’ bridge β†’ intro β†’ …

  1. Write four patterns as described above.
  2. Hold PATTERN, press pads 1, 2, 3, 4 in sequence. Release PATTERN.
  3. Press PLAY. Listen for 1 minute.
  4. The song should cycle through the four sections every 4 bars (about 8 seconds at 120 BPM).

Creative challenge: a song with dynamics

Make the chorus louder than the verse. Adjust the per-step velocity in Tweak Tone mode (Knob B). (Our firmware has no separate β€œVOLUME” mode; the PO-33’s per-sound volume is the Tweak Tone Knob B, and velocity can be set per step here.)

To adjust velocity on the PO-33:

  1. Enter WRITE mode.
  2. Press PLAY.
  3. Wait for the step you want to adjust. Hold the pad (e.g., pad 1) and twist a knob (Knob A or B). The screen shows the velocity (0–127).

For the chorus pattern, set the kick velocity to 120 (loud). For the verse pattern, set it to 80 (quiet). The chorus will feel β€œbigger”.

Listening assignment

Listen to:

  • Daft Punk, β€œOne More Time” (2000). The intro is 16 bars of just the vocal sample (β€œOne more time”). Then the verse enters with the beat. Then the chorus with the full arrangement. Classic EDM song structure.
  • The Beatles, β€œA Hard Day’s Night” (1964). Intro (chord) β†’ verse (vocals + drums + bass) β†’ chorus (vocals + drums + bass + guitar) β†’ verse β†’ chorus β†’ bridge (different chords) β†’ chorus. Textbook AABA form.
  • Kraftwerk, β€œTrans-Europe Express” (1977). The song structure is incredibly repetitive β€” the same 16-bar loop for 6 minutes. But it works because the loop is so hypnotic.
  • Burial, β€œArchangel” (2007). The song structure is a single 4-bar loop that repeats for the entire track. There is no β€œverse” or β€œchorus” β€” just a loop. This is a valid song structure for electronic music.

Summary and checkpoint

Key takeaways:

  • A song has structure: intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro.
  • The PO-33 has 16 patterns. Chain them with PATTERN + pad.
  • Live transitions: hold PATTERN + jump to a different pad.
  • Dynamics: adjust velocity per step (Knob A in WRITE mode).

Self-check:

  • [ ] Can you write four patterns (intro, verse, chorus, bridge)?
  • [ ] Can you chain them with PATTERN + pad?
  • [ ] Can you adjust the velocity of a step?
  • [ ] Do you understand why β€œless is more” applies to song structure too?

If you answered β€œyes” to all four, move on to Chapter 16.