Dynamics, articulation and form
Musical form
Musical form is the structure of a piece: which sections it is built from and in what order they come. The sections are labelled with letters: A, B, A again.
A piece is built from phrases, the way speech is built from sentences. A phrase usually lasts two or four measures and ends with a kind of breath — often a longer note or a cadence. We call the first phrase A. If the next phrase is different, it gets a new letter, B; if it is the same, it is A again.
Phrases and sections make up the form. A followed by B is a two-part form, AB. If A returns after B, the form is ABA: you go somewhere new, then come home. AABA is very common too: phrase A is repeated (often with a repeat sign), then B, then A again — countless songs are built this way, including the textbook’s “Ode to Joy”.
Songs name their parts: verse and chorus. The verse melody returns with new words each time; the chorus returns with the same words. A song often goes verse, chorus, verse, chorus.
What it sounds like
You hear form when you recognise a return: “this was here before”. Section A sounds complete; B often stays open, waiting for more.
Where it is taught: the studio’s interactive textbook, chapter 18, “Tempo, repeats and form” and chapter 20, “A song with chords”.