Hi i come from pop/rock background

all i know is
Intro/Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus/Outro or kinda like that

from what i understand EDM

you also have things called such as breakdown

and Drop

is a breakdown always helping to having before a drop?

and does a breakdown follow the drop again?

if you can please explain breakdown and drop a bit more, and what else i need to know?

thanks

 

Last edited by a moderator: Nov 23, 2019

First thing art is art
So never ever an always thing. If you want you could start with an Outro song structure (would be very unusual but creative)
That’s what's great about music you could do any song structure you like.
There are always suggestions but no 100% rules.

First definition (more in terms of technical) of :
A breakdown is almost always the middle section of a track. It is the part when everything stops and all you can hear are just melodic instruments. No thumping beat or anything.

A drop or beat drop in popular music, especially electronic dance music styles, is a point in a music track where a sudden change of rhythm or bass line occurs, which typically is preceded by a build section and break

In this context

https://cymatics.fm/blogs/production/edm-song-structure

great article about this

special this part

"The intro of a song is somewhat self-explanatory. It’s common for the beginning of a track to feature a stripped down beat to set the pace, making it easier for DJ’s to transition them into their sets.

The intro is followed by a breakdown, where the drums drop out to create a sense of anticipation for the listener.

The breakdown leads into the build up, which ramps up the energy to prepare the listener for the drop. Common techniques in build ups include rising pitch synths and rushing percussion patterns.

The last element, the drop, is arguably the most important. This is the main hook of the song and the section where your production skills have to really shine.

The drop is the energetic high point of the song and the part that needs to make the listener want to move."

 

Drop a few tracks that you like into your DAW and map out the various sections. Then you can use these as a template until you get a better feel for the genre. When I took formal art classes we always studied other peoples work, it's part of the learning process.

 

Last edited: Nov 24, 2019

>> Structure and Arrangement in Electronic Music https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYFZbm0f2qsFKq9BvLb4WVax2WDMMnit

and the definitive article https://www.edmprod.com/tension/ on micro level

 

The classic edm structure is not as common in newer styles like future bass but if you listen to progressive house or big room pretty much all songs have the same structure. Also if the buildup part is not present then most of the times it is followed by a "weak" drop (like in pop songs). In extended mixes the first 8-16 bars are mostly kicks as well as the last 8 bars sometimes. Listen to spinnin and revealed if you want to know better