Creating Emotion
Music can make us feel many different emotions. It can even bring out emotions that might be bubbling under the surface that we haven’t acknowledged yet. When I’m sad, I love to listen to sad music; I'll usually sit there and just have a good old cry (maybe that’s just me!).
Today I want to share some tips on how to channel emotion into music, and why doing this is important for both the songwriter and the listener.
Emotions can be simplified to chemicals; hormones that are released in response to our interpretation of a trigger - and music can be that trigger.
In Western music, major chords are interpreted as happy, and minor chords are interpreted as sad. Aside from chords, there are many other elements to a song that can be used to evoke a particular emotion.
Melody and Pitch
Pitch is the degree of highness or lowness of a tone. Very low sounds are bassy and can shake our bodies, meaning we perceive them as threatening, dark or intense - whereas very high sounds can be piercing, meaning we perceive them as annoying. Pitch has the same effect in music:
High notes = happy/light
Low notes = dark/sad
Our brains interpret melody as a type of speech, so music that behaves more similarly to human speech will sound more pleasant to us. Extreme ranges and large intervals (large steps up or down in pitch) can therefore be less pleasant than a melody that stays within the tonality of a scale. Liiiil bit of music theory for ya there.
In a previous blog, we talked about harmony, and how complementing harmonies create feelings of relaxation and serenity, whilst clashing harmonies create feelings of discomfort or anger. Although harmonies may seem like a small detail, they can really make a huge impact when it comes to emotive songwriting.
Tempo
Tempo is the speed of the music. It has a direct effect on heart rate, meaning that the tempo of a piece of music should roughly equate to the heartbeat associated with the corresponding physical state, or emotion, that the music suggests. For example:
60 BPM = relaxing, depressive
60-90 BPM = engaging
90-120 BPM = alert, exciting
120-150 BPM = agitated
160+ BPM = energetic
This is why the word ‘upbeat’ refers to being happy or positive, and the word ‘downbeat’ refers to being sad or depressing.
You can project the tempo you feel is appropriate for your song at the very beginning of the songwriting or recording process, for example; if I’m looking to write a song that is upbeat and makes people want to dance, I might set the BPM at around 127 ish (insert Calvin Harris classic here).
And what about rhythm?
Rhythm is the pattern of the sound. Smooth and consistent rhythms convey happy or peaceful emotions. Rough and irregular rhythms convey amusing or uneasy emotions.
Generally, the slower the beat, the more relaxing the music will be, and the faster the beat the more exciting the music will be.
There’s a lot to consider here, but it’s great to know that if there’s a certain emotion that you want to create through your music, there are things you can do to encourage the listener to feel a certain way.
A recipe for happy music might look a little like this:
Major key, with a few complementing harmonies
Wide range with intervals and relatively short sentences
High notes that stay within the range of human singing
120 -140 BPM
4/4 time signature
Change in dynamics
An example of a song that uses this recipe is Happy by Pharrell Williams.
A recipe for sad music might look like this:
Minor key with dissonant (clashing) harmonies
Small, monotonic range, with some long notes
Low bassy tones for pitch
40-60BPM
5/4 time signature for feelings of unease
Steady, boring volume (lack of dynamics)
An example of a song that uses this recipe is Scientist by Coldplay.
And finally, let’s talk about the lyrics.
Lyrics can be used to set the scene, and paint the listener a picture. When a listener is mentally engaged in visualising an image, they go from passively listening to actively participating. This makes them more likely to remember your lyric and be emotionally moved by it - it’s a good idea to capture their attention in the first few seconds of a song.
Including simple words like ‘You’ can make the listener feel included and connect you with them on a deeper level, whereas ‘We’ can add a sense of universal connection.
Another great way to connect with the listener on an emotional level is to try and use several when writing - this will help the listener feel the picture you’re painting. A great example of this is Violet Hill by Coldplay;
Was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below
The song opens by painting a vivid picture of how the situation looks and feels.
The hook can also be used to exaggerate the overall emotion and create a lasting impression - check out my last post ‘Writing A Hook’ to learn more about this!
Production
In terms of music production, there are many different ways to change the overall feel of a song, in order to evoke certain emotions. Using effects is one way to do this. I LOVE the way that reverb can change the entire feel of a song.
Reverb can create a lot of space, and can therefore be used to create sparse, lonely textures.
If a vocal or an instrument has no reverb, this creates a closer, more intimate/vulnerable sound.
Think about a song that stirs your emotions.
Listening to that song might throw you right back to a specific place, time or a feeling. That’s the power of great music.
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