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Music vocabulary · Melody, Form and Songwriting

Coda

Meaning in music, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In music, coda means: A final section that brings a piece to a clear close, often after the main form seems complete.

In Turkish: koda

How it is used

Common in classical scores and also in arranged songs. A coda can repeat material, expand the ending, or create a stronger final effect.

Example sentences

  1. After the last chorus, the arranger added a short coda so the horn section could echo the main hook once more.

    Here coda names a separate ending passage added after the main song structure to shape the final impression.

  2. The score looks finished at bar eighty, but the coda extends the ending with a quieter, reflective phrase.

    In this example, coda means an extra closing section that changes the emotional character of the ending.

Common collocations

  • short coda
  • extended coda
  • play the coda
  • coda section
  • scoreWritten music that shows all the parts of a piece together, one above the other. It also means the original music written for a film, series or game.
  • barA short section of music that contains a fixed number of beats, shown on the page between two vertical lines called bar lines.

More terms: Melody, Form and Songwriting

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