Module 23 — Intros, Fills, Turnarounds, Transitions, and Endings
This module is much more practical and pianistic.
You already know how to:
- find a melody,
- harmonize it,
- voice chords,
- use extensions,
- improvise,
- reharmonize,
- substitute chords.
Now we focus on the parts that make a performance sound like an arrangement rather than “melody plus chords.”
The big idea is:
A good performance needs musical framing: how you enter, what you do in the spaces, how you connect sections, and how you leave.
23.1The five framing toolsWe’ll separate them:23.2The easiest intro: use the last 2–4 barsSuppose the song begins in C.23.3Four-bar introA very useful default in C:23.4Two-bar introIf you want something shorter:23.5One-bar pickup introSometimes you only need:23.6Intro from the melody itselfAnother excellent strategy:23.7Intro by fragmentationTake a recognizable motif:23.8Pedal-point introHold low C.23.9Dominant-pedal introHold G in bass.23.10An intro does not need many chordsTry:23.11Establishing tempoAn intro should often make the pulse clear.23.12Rubato intro → tempoA common ballad approach:23.13What is a fill?A fill is a short musical idea inserted where the main melody leaves space.23.14The most common fill mistakeMelody stops.23.15Fill from chord tonesSuppose current harmony is Cmaj7.23.16Fill from the melodyIf the singer/melody just played:23.17Fill toward the next chordSuppose current chord is C, next chord Am.23.18Fill into DmCurrent chord Am.23.19Fill into tonicCurrent chord G7.23.20Fill registerIf melody is around middle C to G above it, don't fill in the same register with equally loud notes.23.21Fill density should depend on melody densityBusy melody:23.22Fills can be rhythmic rather than melodicInstead of a run, just hit a syncopated chord.23.23Echo fillMelody:23.24Answer fillMelody:23.25Contrary-motion fillIf melody ended high, let fill descend.23.26Fill using an enclosureSuppose next melody starts on E.23.27Don't steal the singer's pickupIf the melody begins before the next bar—an anacrusis/pickup—leave room.23.28TurnaroundA turnaround is a progression that returns you toward:23.29Jazz turnaroundWith sevenths:23.30Secondary-dominant turnaroundMake it more active:23.31Longer turnaroundTry:23.32Tritone-sub turnaroundInstead of G7:23.33Backdoor turnaroundTry:23.34Turnaround versus cadenceCadence says:23.35Ending a chorusSuppose you want another chorus.23.36Ending the entire pieceNow do the opposite.23.37The simplest endingG7 → C23.38Major-7 endingFor a ballad:23.39Major-9 endingTry:23.406/9 endingA wonderful stable ending:23.41Why 6/9 can sound more final than maj7Cmaj7 contains:23.42Minor-plagal endingOne of our favorites:23.43Backdoor endingTry:23.44Tritone-sub endingTry:23.45Diminished endingTry:23.46“Amen” endingClassic plagal:23.47Double cadenceTry:23.48Tag endingA tag repeats the last phrase or last few bars.23.49Example three-time tagFirst:23.50The “three times” conventionMany styles repeat a closing phrase three times because:23.51Fermata endingSlow down.23.52False endingResolve:23.53Deceptive ending before true endingExpected:23.54Ending on an inversionIf you end:23.55Ending on maj7 deliberatelyIf melody itself ends on B over Cmaj7, you get a very unresolved/poetic finish.23.56Transition between sectionsSuppose verse ends in C and chorus needs more energy.23.57Density transitionVerse:23.58Register transitionMove RH accompaniment upward over the last 2 bars before the chorus.23.59Rhythmic transitionSuppose verse accompaniment uses whole-note chords.23.60Dominant transitionIf next section begins on C:23.61Transition to relative minorC major section → A minor section.23.62Transition back to majorFrom Am:23.63Transition to IVIf next section starts on F:23.64Rising bass transitionSuppose bass:23.65Chromatic transitionA dramatic descending bass:23.66Fills between vocal phrases versus solo pianoIf accompanying a singer:23.67Fill versus improvised soloA fill is usually:23.68The “one fill per gap” exerciseTake a simple melody.23.69Fill with chord-tone targetingSuppose next chord is G7.23.70Fill with octave answerMelody ends:23.71Fill by harmonizing the melody fragmentInstead of single-note fill, play a short harmonized line.23.72Thirds and sixthsMelodic fills often sound beautiful in intervals:23.73Inner-voice fillMelody holds high G.23.74Bass fillYou can also fill with the left hand.23.75Turnaround as bass fillAt the end of a phrase:23.76Use motifs in intros and endingsIf the melody's important motif is:23.77Intro and ending should belong to the same worldIf intro is delicate Cmaj9 arpeggios and the ending suddenly becomes a giant blues cliché, it may feel disconnected unless intentionally…23.78Bookend techniqueIntro:23.79Intro can foreshadow a reharmonizationIf you plan to use Fm later, introduce A♭ subtly in the intro.23.80Practical arrangement planFor a simple song:23.81Apply it to Happy BirthdayInstead of simply starting the melody:23.82A jazzier Happy Birthday endingFinal cadence:23.83Don't make every section equally elaborateA strong arrangement has contrast.23.84Your arrangement should breatheThink in terms of:23.85The “melody is speaking” ruleImagine the melody is a person speaking.23.86Practice one technique at a timeDon't take a song and simultaneously add:23.87Your practical intro toolboxMemorize five strategies:23.88Your fill toolboxUse:23.89Your ending toolboxUse:23.90One complete practice exerciseTake:•Homework for Module 23Take one melody and create five intros:•Module 23 mini-test1. What is the main purpose of an intro?