How to end songs

Here’s an entry on song structure at totallyexplained.com:
“The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional forms, such as strophic form. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and twelve bar blues. Popular music songs are rarely through-composed. The verse and chorus are considered primary, while the introduction and coda or ending may or may not be used in different performances and are not considered essential to the identity of most songs. A bridge is slightly more important. The verse and chorus are usually repeated throughout a song though the bridge, intro, and outro are usually only used once.”
http://song_structure__popular_music.totallyexplained.com/

Why are we talking about song structure? Because one of the nastiest problems - or interesting challenges - of playing songs is how to end them. So I thought I’d start with an overview of the whole way a song is put together. Now that’s over with, here are some thoughts from various sources on how to end songs:
“Seems like a lot of our songs end like Johnny B Good. We tag the last line
on several, like Maybelline or Mustang Sally….”one of these early
mornin’s….you’re gonna be wipin’ yer weepin’ eyes” and hit it again.
Same with Maybelline, ” You done started back doin’ the thangs you used to
do”. THEN the JBGood end!!
We just have a good time figuring out how to end ‘em, sometimes in a way
that people wouldn’t expect….”Six days on the road and I’m agonna make it
home tonight” all done a capella with no sustain on “night”, just bite it
off.”
http://ebassist.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16609

“The start and finish are the two most important parts of the song. If the band doesn’t start on the same page then the song will already be over as far as the audience is concerned. If the ending of the song is a train wreck, or you always do the ‘trash-can’ ending (holding the last note while lead guitar players and drummers slam a scale or two….. ) then the night becomes unbearably long and the audience will grow tired of listening to you.
Very very important to rehearse starts and finishes, and to make sure that not every song starts or ends the same.”
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archive/index.php/t-1654872.html

“Intros and endings are very important when playing jazz standards because it will show the listener that you have thought about some kind of arrangement, rather than counting off a tune and blowing through it, only to stagger at the end and almost cause a train wreck.
Endings are especially important when accompanying singers as you can design the “big finish”. One popular and very successful way to approach the end of a song is by landing on the tonic note and harmonizing a group of chords with the tonic note at the top of each, but without stating the tonic chord until the very end. This way, you present an interrupted phrase ending, some good tension and you can build up the final resolution.”
http://www.guitarmadesimple.com/lessons/song_endings.html

. . . and finally . . . 10 Jazz Guitar Endings

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