A common problem: you love your verse chords, but every chorus you try either sounds the same or sounds like a different song. Here are the ways songwriters solve it, from the simplest. In each, the verse is C – Am – F – G (I – vi – IV – V).

  1. Keep the same chords. Many hit songs do — the chorus gets its lift from a higher melody and a fuller sound instead. Songwriters often say the melody matters most.
  2. Same chords, new order: F – G – C – Am. Related, but fresh.
  3. Start somewhere new: begin the chorus on a chord the verse doesn't start on — F, Am, or even Em for a dramatic change.
  4. Point the verse at the chorus: end the verse on G (tension), so the chorus's C feels like landing.
  5. Change just one chord: sometimes one different chord is all the lift a chorus needs.
  6. Change the chord speed: the same chords, two to a bar in the chorus — or one every two bars, which can hit harder.
  7. Swap the mood: a verse that leans on the minor chords (Am – Em – Am – Em) and a chorus that leans on the major ones (C – G – F – C).
  8. Borrow one surprise chord: C – B♭ – F – C, where B♭ comes from the key's minor side (see Borrowed Chords).
  9. Hold one bass note: in a pre-chorus, keep G in the bass while the chords above change — the tension builds until the chorus lands on C.
  10. Change key for a part: up to the key of F or G, or from C major to C minor — usually saved for a bridge or a last chorus.