How Do You Evoke A Particular Emotion When Making Music - WeAreTheMusicMakers

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Posted by
u/naught101
5 years ago
How do you evoke a particular emotion

when making music?
So, I was looking for some kind of list of techniques for evoking
evoking particular emotions when
making music, and I couldn't find much. There are obvious techniques, like harsh or distorted
sounds for anger, faster rhythms for excitement, minor keys for sadness, etc. etc., most of
which don't work on their own. It seems like
like it would be a great resource to have lots of
techniques, all in one place, for evoking specific emotions.
So, let's see if this works: For your answer, pick one emotion, and discuss the techniques
you use to try to evoke that emotion.
emotion If you wanna writee about more than one emotion, then
post separate answers for each. Let us know what music styles you're using these techniques
in too. Maybe someone will be keen, and make up a cheatsheet out of all of the responses.
There are tonnes of possible emotions you could select, including the ones from this
wikipedia image.. Or you could pick from one my friend's comprehensive list of all major
emotions: Mad, Bad, Glad, Sad,
Sa Rad, and Salad.
Go!
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level 1
tvvt
74 points · 5 years ago · edited 5 years ago
You need to learn music theory. This is basically what theory is all about, and this question is
easily answered with some elementary knowledge of theory. I'm gonna break this down
quickly and succinctly for you.
There are three essential aspects to any musical composition : Rhythm, Melody, and
Structure. Let's break them down to see how we achieve a particular mood, feeling, emotion,
etc..
Melody
The sequence of notes that are being played, triggered, vocalized, or otherwise produced from
a sound source. * So how do we know what notes to pick to convey a certain vibe?*
First off - Learn the seven modes. I'll use the emotion wheel you posted to match them up (in
my opinion).
Ionian - Happy / Tender
Dorian - Sad / Scared
Phrygian - Angry / Sad / Scared
Lydian - Excited / Tender / Happy
Mixolydian - Excited / Tender / Happy
Aeolian - Sad / Tender
Locrian - Scared / Angry
The thing about "Angry" is that I find it comes more from velocity / composition / and
vocals... definitely vocals. The others can be easier conveyed through just notes, but angry is
more difficult to achieve without vocals.
Each key also puts off a particular vibe. This is From Christian Schubart's Ideen zu einer
Aesthetik der Tonkunst (1806) :
C major: Completely pure. Its character is: innocence, simplicity, naivety, children's talk
C minor: Declaration of love and at the same time the lament of unhappy love. All
languishing, longing, sighing of the love-sick soul lies in this key
Db major: A leering key, degenerating into grief and rapture. It cannot laugh, but it can
smile; it cannot howl, but it can at least grimace its crying.--Consequently only unusual
characters and feelings can be brought out in this key
D major: The key of triumph, of Hallelujahs, of war-cries, of victory-rejoicing. Thus, the

inviting symphonies, the marches, holiday songs and heaven-rejoicing choruses are set in this
key
D minor: Melancholy womanliness, the spleen and humors brood
D# minor: Feelings of the anxiety of the soul's deepest distress, of brooding despair, of
blackest depression, of the most gloomy condition of the soul. Every fear, every hesitation of
the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D# minor. If ghosts could speak, their speech
would approximate this key
Eb major: The key of love, of devotion, of intimate conversation with God
E major: Noisy shouts of joy, laughing pleasure and not yet complete, full delight lies in E
Major
F major: Complaisance and calm
F minor: Deep depression, funereal lament, groans of misery and longing for the grave
F# major: Triumph over difficulty, free sigh of relief uttered when hurdles are surmounted;
echo of a soul which has fiercely struggled and finally conquered lies in all uses of this key
F# minor: A gloomy key: it tugs at passion as a dog biting a dress. Resentment and
discontent are its language
G major: Everything rustic, idyllic and lyrical, every calm and satisfied passion, every tender
gratitude for true friendship and faithful love,--in a word every gentle and peaceful emotion
of the heart is correctly expressed by this key
G minor: Discontent, uneasiness, worry about a failed scheme; bad-tempered gnashing of

teeth; in a word: resentment and dislike
Ab major: Key of the grave. Death, grave, putrefaction, judgment, eternity lie in its radius
Ab minor: Grumbler, heart squeezed until it suffocates; wailing lament, difficult struggle; in
a word, the color of this key is everything struggling with difficulty
A major: This key includes declarations of innocent love, satisfaction with one's state of
affairs; hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in
God
A minor: Pious womanliness and tenderness of character
Bb major: Cheerful love, clear conscience, hope aspiration for a better world. A quaint
creature, often dressed in the garment of night. It is somewhat surly and very seldom takes on
a pleasant countenance. Mocking God and the world; discontented with itself and with
everything; preparation for suicide sounds in this key
Bb minor: A quaint creature, often dressed in the garment of night. It is somewhat surly and
very seldom takes on a pleasant countenance. Mocking God and the world; discontented with
itself and with everything; preparation for suicide sounds in this key.
B major: Strongly colored, announcing wild passions, composed from the most glaring
colors. Anger, rage, jealousy, fury, despair and every burden of the heart lies in its sphere
B minor: This is as it were the key of patience, of calm awaiting one's fate and of submission
to divine dispensation
Rhythm
This is the beat. It's the drums. It's what drives the track, and it's typically pretty simple -
Slow = less drama, more relaxing, love, etc.
Medium (think heartbeat speed) = Consistency, fullfillment, can be relaxing, rewarding, etc.
Fast = Drama, angst, anger, power, etc.
Other parts of rhythm that can change the feeling of a song also include:
Time signature
Moving between triplets and up beat / down beat
Speed of the percussion
Velocity of the percussion
Density of the percussion
Flavor of the percussion (compression, distortion, is it clean? hard electronic samples? jazz
kit? etc.)
But for the most part, the slower the beat, the more relaxing and chill, the faster the more
agnsty / drama that you're building.
Structure
Oh God, I could easily write an entire book on different song structures for different
purposes... I'm sure there have been several written already. Point is, it's a long and messy
topic. There is no "right" or "wrong" song structure, if it works it works.
The basic song forms -
Verse Chorus
Verse Chorus Bridge
AAA
AABA
Those are the big 4, and 95% of the music you hear falls into one of those four song
structures.
I've already spent too much time on this or I would comment further, but my advice is to
learn about how the different song structures influence your perception of the music being
played, and apply that to your own music. You'll quickly learn that AAA is for when you
have something very specific you want to say, a single particular feeling spread across the
length of a tune. Use verse chorus when you want to create a catchy pop styled track. Verse
chorus bridge for the epic catchy track. And AABA when you are writing a song with a
particular mood and feel like you need to deviate in order to fulfill the listener.
Hopefully this helps. I think the most important thing is learning the modes and keys. Learn
about harmony and tonal center, and learn about chord progressions and movement. I think
rhythm and structure come pretty naturally, but melody and harmony take knowledge and
practice.
Most importantly, have fun. Do it because you love making music, not because you want to
be sucessful, and you'll find yourself loving being sucessful at making music.
level 2
naught101
7 points · 5 years ago
On a side-note, it bemuses me that anyone gives any credence to the whole concept of
different major scales having different emotions (other than those that are socialised, maybe).
I mean, it's exactly the same pattern, just transposed, and unless you have really good
absolute pitch recognition, then you're not going to notice the difference, unless they are
played back-to-back. In particular, if there is such a huge shift in emotion between C major
and G major, then how could there not be a larger shift between C major and the same song
transposed up an octave?
Continue this thread

level 2
-Nii-
We use equal temperament between notes on a keyboard now so I think the different moods
of different key signatures no longer apply. Unless you have something that allows bending
of notes or microtones such as violin or cello etc.

level 2
indwelling_fire
Well, that pretty much summed it up.
This one knows all our tricks, guys. Let's go home....

level 2
Sniper881
someone give this person gold

level 2
Comment deleted by user5 years ago
level 2
naught101
1 point · 5 years ago · edited 5 years ago
Hrm... I totally appreciate your post, and it is helpful, but I wasn't just talking about
composition, I was also talking about sound design.
The reason I wanted to split it by by emotion, instead of by technique, as you have done (and
as most music theory does), is that it's a lot more accessible to beginners that way - or at least,
it's a different way of categorising things, and as such, is helpful in a complementary way.
Also, it would make it easier to talk about the really big parts of music theory (like structure,
as you mentioned), by just focussing on the relevant parts, for each particular emotion.
Edit: Ahh! Just read /u/-Nii-'s comment - now it totally makes sense how those keys could
have different moods on a non-equal temperament instrument - there would be very different
patterns of consonance and dissonance. My comment still holds for most modern instruments
though.

level 2
Coldinferno
1 point · 5 years ago
Replying so i can find this awesome post later. Also to say that although i had college level
lessons in music theory, emotion barely came into play..
level 2
bstix
Great post. Thanks. Actually I would like to know more about the structure. I don't expect
you to go into a lot of details here, but if you have any good links on the subject, that would
be much appreciated. Most of the stuff I found on google is very basic, so I wonder if I am
just missing the right word to seach.
level 2
tvrdloch
here is nice tutorial on modes with examples from popmusic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF47dr8sVyE
level 2
armysonx
This is a great post, but I can never understand how people say different keys have different
feelings. Looking at something like Dmin vs. Gmin, the relationships between their notes are
all the same. How could the keys be different other than one being higher?

level 2
shmegegy
It's good to keep in mind that this is also culturally specific to western music. For example,
Indian ragas will have vastly different rhythmic structures and harmonic relationships.
Probably one day we'll be able to better map out the frequency interactions with specific
neural response, and production of chemicals such as dopamine. I've made some progress
myself.

level 2
[deleted]
Too bad Schubart wrote the feelings of the keys long before we were operating on the 440 Hz
standard. So that guide is basically meaningless today.

level 2
hornwalker
You forgot harmony and timbre, which are just as important IMO to Melody, rhythm, and
structure. But good some good info. That thing about the individual key's having a particular
"character" is total rubbish, although an interesting historical thing.

level 2
Drive_like_Yoohoos
So Dm really is the the saddest of all keys?
level 2
Comment deleted by user5 years ago
level 2
NyoZa
-8 points · 5 years ago(More than 1 child)
level 1
JordanMencel
I feel like there's so much to write to answer this, but there's no way of writing it down in a
way someone else will understand.
Keep on playing, listening, writing, socializing with and immersing yourself in music. Your
relationship with it will develop, you'll be able to see music in ways you never could before.
I don't even know how to describe it, but after years of writing, expressing your feelings in
notes and sounds becomes a thing you don't need to think about, it just happens
level 1
PT410X
This is part of making music where it's definitely more art than science; I don't think there's a
good way to try to do it beyond making music that makes you feel a certain way. Everyone's
experience of music is subjective and different, and the most you can hope for is that there
will be a substantial overlap between the feeling you get making a piece of music and the
feeling the listener gets; it will never be a perfect match.
level 2
tvvt
I disagree, there is definitely a science to it. I mean, you can literally do nothing other than
play in one of the seven modes and instantly convey a particular vibe. Playing down a scale
will convey a sense of depression, longing, yerning, sadness, etc.... playing up a scale gives a
feeling of fullfillment, happiness, excitement, drama, etc... same thing with certain invterval
patterns, chord structures, etc.
The main reason I think it's more science than feel, is that if you asked me to convey a
particular mood, I would consider the notes first before even playing them. Consider the scale
im going to use, which direction the melody will flow, etc... before I even play a single note.
Don't get me wrong, there is a TON of art / feeling / mojo / whatever you want to call it that
goes into it. I just think that there is a very scientific approach to it that is more important
than just the art side. It's like, if you don't know the science side, you'll never be able to get
the art side right.

level 2
naught101
Of course. But it's not about hard and fast rules. It's about heuristics. Patterns that work in
many (but not all) situations. There are tonnes of them, and having a nice fat reference list is
likely to help lots of people, even though no-one will use the whole list, or even half of it.
level 1
Kappow
If I may add my two cents- different keys don't have inherently different moods but will have
a huge effect on the vocalist/lead instrument which in turn can greatly affect the emotion of
the song
level 1
mrpistachio13
In my experience the best way to go about it is just wrote music without trying to think about
it too hard, and the music you make at a given time will end up sounding like how you felt
emptionally as you wrote it. There's not agood way to force it, and you really don't need to.
level 2
naught101
I know, I know. Like everything, practice makes perfect. But I find this shit interesting, and I
also find that if I know a bit of theory, I can make my practice more effective.
level 1
PyramidsAreCool
Depression. Im depressed... I make it sound like I feel. Done.
level 1
nanodano
The best way to capture an emotion is to be feeling the emotion when you write the music,
and feel it whenever you play it. And, yes, a certain level of music theory understanding can
help you find the right notes that assist in that expression.
level 1
imperfect5th
Dont have much musical training bbut i always experience feels when a musician throws
something unexpected into the mix. Thats the only way i can explainn it for myself or others,
just catch em off guard.
level 1
guygizmo
The best answer I can give is to practice playing your instrument without having to think too
hard. Get better at imagining a melody or harmony and then produce it without having to
stop. You want music to "just flow out of you", so to speak. It's hard, and it takes a long time
to get there. But when you do, you'll eventually develop the ability to just play music that
represents how you're feeling, or how you want to feel. Yes, there's specific techniques that
you can employ to help, but at the end of the day emotion is this intuitive, non-rational thing
that only exists in the present moment, and you need to tap into that in order to represent it in
music. This isn't by all means the only way to do this, but it's what a lot of musicians do.
level 2
naught101
Heh. I'm finding it quite amusing how many answers here totally fail to address the question.
It's like no-one reads anything but the title (which is admittedly a little vague).

level 1
Roberto23
“Strange how potent cheap music is.”
• Noel Coward
It's all about the viberation.
level 1
BleepsBlops
tvvt pretty much answered everything you need to know, but sometimes you just have to tune
in to what you are feeling at the time, and just let it pour out of you without over thinking
things. If something feels right and resonates with you just roll with it and see where it takes
you.
level 1
shmegegy
trepidation. short staccato stabs, with the last stab in the sequence somewhat delayed and
sustained..
level 2
naught101
What kind of music? Does it work with all sounds, or just kinda harsh sounds?

level 1
brattonWVU
Think aggressive, play aggressive, think sad, play sad. Feel it, then play it. Don't overthink
this too much. :)
level 2
naught101
Define "play aggressive" and "play sad" :P

level 2
Abelisk
soundcloud.com/abelisk 4 yrs1 point · 5 years ago
This is easier said than done for some of us.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/comments/1x59js/how_do_you_evoke_a_
particular_emotion_when_making/

How Do You Evoke A Particular Emotion When Making Music - WeAreTheMusicMakers

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66

How do you evoke a particular emotion

Ionian - Happy / Tender

Dorian - Sad / Scared

Phrygian - Angry / Sad / Scared

Lydian - Excited / Tender / Happy

Mixolydian - Excited / Tender / Happy

Aeolian - Sad / Tender

Locrian - Scared / Angry

D major: The key of triumph, of Hallelujahs, of war-cries, of victory-rejoicing. Thus, the

D minor: Melancholy womanliness, the spleen and humors brood

F major: Complaisance and calm

G minor: Discontent, uneasiness, worry about a failed scheme; bad-tempered gnashing of

A minor: Pious womanliness and tenderness of character

Slow = less drama, more relaxing, love, etc.

Fast = Drama, angst, anger, power, etc.

Moving between triplets and up beat / down beat

Speed of the percussion

Velocity of the percussion

Density of the percussion

The basic song forms -

Verse Chorus Bridge

Continue this thread

Continue this thread

Well, that pretty much summed it up.

This one knows all our tricks, guys. Let's go home....

Continue this thread

someone give this person gold

Continue this thread

Continue this thread

here is nice tutorial on modes with examples from popmusic

Continue this thread

Continue this thread

Continue this thread

Continue this thread

So Dm really is the the saddest of all keys?

Continue this thread

Depression. Im depressed... I make it sound like I feel. Done.

Continue this thread

“Strange how potent cheap music is.”

It's all about the viberation.

Continue this thread

Define "play aggressive" and "play sad" :P

Continue this thread

This is easier said than done for some of us.

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