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PAGE
INDEX
3.4.1 Emotional Valence and Intensity
3.4.2 Emotional Effects of Pitch
3.4.3 Emotional Effects of Loudness
3.4.4 Emotional Effects of Tone Color
~ • ~ • ~ • ~
3.4.1
EMOTIONAL
VALENCE AND
INTENSITY
To close out this chapter on tones and overtones, a word or two on
the emotional effects of tone properties.
Chapter 9 goes into considerable detail about music and
emotional arousal. However, every chapter from this one through
Chapter 10 discusses the emotional effects of some element or
elements of music (including lyrics). Emotions have a couple of
properties:
1. Valence
Valence
just refers to kinds of emotions, such as anger, sadness, or joy, and whether
they’re positive or negative. (Emotions aren’t neutral.)
• Some positive emotions: adoration, tenderness,
amusement, glee, delight, bliss, gratitude, serenity
• Some negative emotions: depression, despair, anxiety,
panic, abhorrence, bitterness, embarrassment, guilt
As
discussed in Chapter 1, emotions evolved as adaptations. They tend to manifest
automatically, usually in response to some kind of surprise. Sometimes they
spark quick action, not only in humans but in many species—for example, the
universal “fight or flight” response to something in the environment that
engenders rage or fear, respectively.
2. Intensity
Intensity refers to the force with which you feel the emotion.
For instance, depending on the circumstances, you might
experience only slight amusement about something, such as a TV
sitcom, or you might experience extreme amusement.
You might feel only mildly
guilty about something you’ve done—or you might feel extremely guilty. (So ... what did you do?)
The next three sections discuss research findings on the
emotional effects of three properties of tones: pitch, loudness, and
tone color (timbre). Chapter 7 discusses tone duration because beat
and rhythm measure it.
3.4.2
EMOTIONAL
EFFECTS OF
PITCH
Table 5 below lists research findings of some of the main emotional
effects of pitch. These effects overlap to a degree with emotional
effects associated with intervals (Chapter 4) and melody (Chapter
9), both being pitch-related elements of music.
Variations in pitch, like variations in tempo, tend to have
substantial emotional effects.
TABLE 5
Emotional Effects of Pitch
Pitch Characteristics
|
Associated Emotions
|
Low pitch
|
Fear, seriousness, generally
negative emotional valence, also majesty, vigour, dignity,
solemnity, tenderness
|
Low pitch, monotonic
|
Anger, boredom, sometimes
fear
|
Low pitch, especially
octave leap downwards
|
sadness, melancholy
|
High pitch
|
Generally positive emotional
valence, happiness, grace,
surprise, triumph, serenity,
dreaminess
|
High, rising melody,
especially octave leap
upwards
|
Happiness, excitement
|
Wandering, unfocused
|
Sadness
|
3.4.3
EMOTIONAL
EFFECTS OF
LOUDNESS
Table 6 below lists some reported emotional effects of loudness.
As with emotional effects of pitch, those of loudness can be
positive or negative for the same loudness characteristic, depending
on the musical context.
TABLE 6
Emotional Effects of Loudness
Loudness
Characteristics
|
Associated Emotions
|
Soft (quiet)
|
Generally negative emotional valence—sadness,
melancholy; but also tenderness, peacefulness
|
Soft, not varying much
|
Tenderness
|
Moderate, not varying much
|
Happiness, pleasantness
|
Loud
|
Joy, excitement, happiness,
triumph, generally positive
emotional valence
|
Very loud, to distortion
levels
|
Anger
|
Wide changes, soft to loud,
especially if quick
|
Fear
|
3.4.4
EMOTIONAL
EFFECTS OF
TONE
COLOR
To maximize emotional punch, you can use different properties of
tone to reinforce the same emotion. For example, low pitch and wide
variations in loudness evoke fear (e.g., the Jaws shark theme).
You can also easily counteract certain emotional associations of
tone properties by emphasizing other tone properties. For example
violin tone color by itself has negative emotional associations (such
as sadness or melancholy), which you can easily counteract with
high-register playing and loudness level (e.g., Irish jigs and reels).
You’ll
see as you go along that you can use many other musical variables to counteract
or to reinforce various emotional effects to your liking.
TABLE 7
Emotional Effects of Tone Color
Tone Color
Characteristics
|
Associated Emotions
|
Simple tone color, few
overtones (e.g., flute)
|
Pleasantness, peace, boredom
|
Complex tone color, many
overtones (e.g., over-driven
electric guitar)
|
Power, anger, fear
|
Bright tone color, crisp,
fast tone attack and decay
in performance
|
Generally positive emotional
valence, happiness
|
Dull tone color, slow attack
and decay in performance
|
Generally negative emotional
valence, sadness, tenderness
|
Violin sounds
|
Sadness, fear, anger
|
Drum sounds
|
Anger
|
Sharp, abrupt tone attacks
|
Anger
|
Next time you see a movie, hone in on the background music
from time to time, and see if you can relate the music to what you
remember of the information in Tables 5, 6, and 7 above.
Professional composers of film scores tend to have a good grasp of
the connections between emotional valences and elements of tone
such as pitch and loudness. (Chapter 9 has more information on
emotion and film music.)
Effects of Music on General Health
In addition to specific emotional effects, evidence
indicates music has some effects on general
health. For instance, research findings indicate
that ...
-
Compared with passive listening, active
participation in music-making boosts your
immune system.
-
Listening to music while running can increase
the effectiveness of the exercise you do by
reducing muscle tension and blood pressure.
-
Patients
about to undergo an operation experience less anxiety if they listen to music of
their choosing for half an hour before surgery, compared with patients who don’t
listen to music before surgery.
-
If
you listen to music while exercising, it puts you in a better emotional state,
and you’re more likely to stick with your exercise regime.
-
People who sing in choral groups report
elevated levels of emotional well-being, an
indication of the adaptive history of group
singing.
-
Music is one of many brain-stimulating
activities that may help stave off dementia. To
get the benefit, you have to actively play an
instrument or sing, not merely listen to music.
|
Next, a look at the connection between overtones and the
construction of scales.
~ • ~ • ~ • ~
~ • ~ •
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TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
PART I
The Big
Picture
Introduction
1.
W-5 of Music
2.
Pop Music
Industry
PART II
Essential
Building
Blocks
of Music
3.
Tones/Overtones
4.
Scales/Intervals
5.
Keys/Modes
PART III
How to Create
Emotionally
Powerful Music
and Lyrics
6.
Chords/
Progressions
7.
Pulse/Meter/
Tempo/Rhythm
8.
Phrase/Form
9.
Melody
10.
Lyrics
11.
Repertoire/
Performance
PART IV
Making a
Living In
Music
12.
Business of
Music
Appendixes
Notes
References
Index
Top
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
PART I
The Big
Picture
Introduction
1.
W-5 of Music
2.
Pop Music
Industry
PART II
Essential
Building
Blocks
of Music
3.
Tones/Overtones
4.
Scales/Intervals
5.
Keys/Modes
PART III
How to Create
Emotionally
Powerful Music
and Lyrics
6.
Chords/
Progressions
7.
Pulse/Meter/
Tempo/Rhythm
8.
Phrase/Form
9.
Melody
10.
Lyrics
11.
Repertoire/
Performance
PART IV
Making a
Living In
Music
12.
Business of
Music
Appendixes
Notes
References
Index
Top
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
PART I
The Big
Picture
Introduction
1.
W-5 of Music
2.
Pop Music
Industry
PART II
Essential
Building
Blocks
of Music
3.
Tones/Overtones
4.
Scales/Intervals
5.
Keys/Modes
PART III
How to Create
Emotionally
Powerful Music
and Lyrics
6.
Chords/
Progressions
7.
Pulse/Meter/
Tempo/Rhythm
8.
Phrase/Form
9.
Melody
10.
Lyrics
11.
Repertoire/
Performance
PART IV
Making a
Living In
Music
12.
Business of
Music
Appendixes
Notes
References
Index
Top
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