Refrain and Chorus

[john]

Hi gang

 

Give your own description, no googling or pulling from another site or book, no plagiarising...

 

Your description should include a definition of “refrain”, a description of “chorus”, and how they relate to each other.

 

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Have fun

 

Cheers

 

John

[Todd M]

These are guesses and takes:

 

Refrain. I think that is a subtle calm before a bridge or chorus that gives the piece a chance to expand before a build up.

Chorus: Usually a repetitive line or paragraph sang by background vocalists that ties the verses together. 🙂

[MonoStone]

Refrain is a repeated bit that sticks in your head, a line or even just a word (I think), so I think a refrain can, for example, be a just a short bit on the end of a verse or whatever. I think a refrain needs words (or a word... or something vocal at least). The bit we usually call the hook.

 

Chorus is a separately defined part where the melody changes, the chords might change too, and usually there's some shift in the arrangement, and normally a chorus lifts things in terms of the music and arrangement, although I don't think it has to lift in order to be called a chorus. The chorus is usually the release if there's tension in the verses, and usually has a hooky repeated (or repeatable) melody.... so maybe that's why some people sometimes call the chorus the refrain. 

 

Hmmm not sure I explained well... the short answer is -

 

You should be able to tell when the song's changed to the chorus, it feels like a chorus! Whereas a refrain is just the repeated main hook.

 

Some people use the terms to mean the same thing... I don't think they are quite the same thing but... maybe ... and ... I don't care really. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Todd M]

Yep. Hook is a better way of terming what i was saying about chorus. Nice!👍

[Pahchisme Plaid]

A chorus is what ties the verses together.  It contains the hook if there is one and usually the title of the song is in the chorus.  I tend to think it has more than a few lines.  I’ve known songs to sometimes have an alternate chorus within the same song.  It has the same melody every time, but generally stands out from the verse melody.

 

A refrain tends to be a word or few words, a line or two and also contains the hook and often the title of the song.  A refrain can be a beginning line or lines or a line or lines that end the verses (or both) and those lines don’t change.  They stay the same and in the same placement in relation to the verses throughout the song and isn’t necessarily separate from the verses. 

 

Choruses are frequently accompanied by a bridge or musical solo and refrains not so much.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2018 by Pahchisme Plaid