Intro
- Definition
- An intro is the opening section of a song that establishes its tempo, mood, and instrumentation before the first verse begins. It can be purely instrumental, built from a riff or chord pattern, or sometimes include a spoken or sung line that previews what's to come.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Songwriting stage
- arranging
In practice
The intro is the listener's very first impression, so its primary job is orientation: setting the key, tempo, and general feel so that when the verse arrives, it already fits naturally into an established world. Intros can be as short as a single chord or as developed as eight full bars of a signature riff, and the right length usually depends on genre and the amount of setup the song actually needs.
Many beginner songwriters write overly long intros out of a wish to build atmosphere, but in most commercial styles, a shorter intro keeps listeners engaged before the vocal and lyric content begin. A practical approach is to borrow material that appears later in the song—such as the chorus melody played instrumentally—so the intro feels connected rather than like a separate piece bolted onto the front.
Example
A songwriter opens an acoustic ballad with four bars of fingerpicked guitar outlining the same chord progression that will later support the chorus, letting the listener's ear settle into the key and tempo before any vocal enters on the first verse.