Japanese Song Form and Catchiness Design (jp-song-structure)

This skill deals with the question of "how to build the whole song": section terminology, form templates, section contrast, sabi (サビ, chorus) design, hooks, climax and ending, instrumental sections, and avoiding cliché.

Core idea: a good song is "made to be listened to repeatedly" (繰り返し聴けるように作られている) — the whole-song structure is a device that keeps the listener from getting bored and maximizes the emotional impact of the sabi. If the structure is long-winded and flat, listeners will "get off the bus" partway through no matter how good the song is; conversely, with a song they know well, it is precisely because they know "what development comes next" that they enjoy it with anticipation.

I. The Japanese Section Terminology System

Japanese (J-Pop) terms do not map one-to-one onto Anglo-American terms; when analyzing or communicating, sort them out first: