Song Structure Chart

A section mapper allow you to map your songs’ structure in a visual form. This includes choruses, verses, bridges etc. You can use your computer keyboard to make detailed adjustments to the chart or your mouse/trackpad to interact with it.

Begin by choosing a reference form at the top of the widget. You can immediately load one of three standard structures. First, there is the verse chorus which delivers a classic pop structure. Next, the AABA standard give you the traditional jazz form. And third, the continuous rise offers you a more linear build that doesn’t repeat blocks of material. This rearranges the timeline below to fit the usual flow of each.

How to Use the Song Map Tool

This is the song view. On the left side of the screen you will see your song, it’s displayed as a series of blocks. These blocks represents sections or parts of the arrangement. The length of the block is proportional to how many bars long it is. There is also a colored bar underneath that show the energy level of the section.

By clicking on any section you can examine it further in the inspector panel on the right. You will then see the inspector displaying the metadata for the section you’ve chosen. It shows the section’s name, its number of bars, and its energy rating. There is a brief description of what the section do musically.

If you want to change the order of the sections then you can move them towards the intro or outro. Sections can be deleted altogether or duplicated to make repeats.

There is also an insert deck below the chart. This allows you to add another section following what has been selected. For example, you might want to insert a verse, a chorus, bridge or even a section of instrumentals. By default, it gives you a length and the energy setting for each new section which you can then fine-tune. It’s great if you want to expand on a brief sketch into a complete arrangement.

At the foot of the screen are the transport controls which allow you to follow the form of the piece visually. The trace button begins a playhead which moves through each section as they occurs. There is also an option to set the pace of the scan so that you can review the arrangement at speed or take your time and really get to know how it flows. No need to listen to the music, just feel it.

It’s been designed for speed and accessibility with full keyboard support. You can tab through the controls. The left and right arrow keys navigates from section to section when one is in focus. You can also use the arrow keys to change the order of sections you have selected by holding Shift down. Pressing Enter will inspect the currently focused part. Space bar activates the trace function.

The chart takes up more screen area in fullscreen mode. That’s useful if you’re dealing with a complicated arrangement that requires additional real estate.

The help panel acts as a handy reference for all of your keyboard shortcuts and mouse touch inputs. Both of these panels can be opened and closed at will.

Use various forms and learn about how they impact the energy of the song. Experiment with placing the bridge at another part in the song; does this alter the build up? Do the different parts of the song has enough contrast in their energy levels? Does the arrangement feel well-balanced? Check this using the trace function.

Note the bar counts. You can save your mental model of that song by noting the bar counts. Adding/removing sections automatically updates the total bar count. This enables you to keep an eye on the overall length and also to make sure that the arrangement is balanced enough to work.

The concept behind this tool is that it’s a visual planner and an aid to rapid iteration. It doesn’t require you to write anything to make use of it. It’s focused on form, so you can focus on the narrative arc. Try out the controls until you discover a structure that feeds into your creative ideas.