Emotionally Provocative Music

“I Wanna Feel, I Wanna Know That It’s Real..”

Music has the power to transport us to different places, times, and even far away worlds. It has the ability to tap into our deepest feelings, and to instigate entire emotional and mental states. It all depends on what the composer is trying to achieve. This is at the core of scoring for soundtracks. It is also effective without the aid of a visual component.

Here we will discuss ways to accomplish evoking the emotional and mental response you are seeking to convey in your compositions:

“There’s A Shark In The Pond!!!”

If anyone has ever seen the film Jaws, the score of that movie is a perfect example of how a basic melodic and instrumental pairing can really scare people out of the ocean for years. Talk about effective emotional and mental manipulation, but not in a sinister way. The iconic Jaws theme is mostly only two notes played at a slightly ominous tempo on stringed instruments. It’s amazing how a basic “E” and “F” (a minor second interval) can be so disturbing, and it’s not because of the associated image of a Great White Shark, it’s because the natural of the interval is “tension” and dissonance. A minor second is also deployed, but this time as a harmony, to create the famous knife scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. So as an example, using a minor second is a way to make people feel really uneasy. This will be the case no matter what instrument the interval is delivered on.

Use Intervals to your advantage; which in turn means that you will need to study them and know their emotional qualities. Pay attention to how each one makes you feel when you hear it.

I will not be teaching all the intervals here, but you can take that search to Google, or perhaps I’ll write a blog which breaks this down at some other time.

“You Must Choose,.. But Choose Wisely…”

Aside from intervals, the instrument, or sounds that are chosen will have a HUGE impact on the end result, mentally and emotionally. There are a lot of commonly paired emotions and sources of sound such as the following:

Gong - often associated with ancient, usually Eastern vibes, meant to evoke feelings of the esoteric, much like one could imagine in Asia. There is often a certain mystique to Asain music, and the gong lends itself to that. (Listen to Wherever I May Roam by Metallica)

Distorted Electric Guitar - There is no shortage of energy when it comes to overdriven electric guitar sounds. The emotional quality can vary greatly, but the main thing is the energy that is generated as a result of the nature of the instrument. If you want a sense of rebellion, or counter-culture, or power, electric guitar is a good place to start. (Listen To Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana)

Bassoon - the bassoon has a particular character to its sound. It’s a bit goofy in certain contexts, but it’s also a bit ominous, or quirky. Bassoons are often used in film sequences or scores having to deal with Devils, magick, or Myth. (Listen to the Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas)

Theremin - A theremin is an electronic instrument that is performed by the player using their hands to manipulate the frequencies emitted from the device. It is often used for odd, funky, more Science Fiction inspired music. It has a very alien sound to it, and it creates a sense of the future, or even more so “technology” sounding compositions. (Listen to The Day The Earth Stood Still by Bernard Herrmann).

The list can go on and on and on, so my advice would be to search the internet or buy a book on instruments of the world. Such resources will often span modern and ancient instruments; anything with sound samples would be helpful. Having a good instrument and sound vocabulary can really help you hone in on the sound that matches the qualities of your vision.

“Dance To The Music..”

One last element we will discuss here is rhythm. The feel that you employ will determine a large portion of the mood that will result. Speedy rhythms can evoke feelings of activity, anxiety, a fast paced mind, and/or urgency, whereas a slower pace can imply struggle, challenge, low energy, depression, sleepiness, and/or impending doom. A more moderate tempo can create a sense of neutrality, comfort, business-as-usual, and/or a general sense of normalcy. Of course at any point, artistic license can be called into play and these generalized associations can be twisted and flipped to create the opposite effect as one might expect based on the imagery they are seeing. For example, if in a movie scene a character is at their job, doing their tasks, and interacting with co-workers, the choice of tempo can radically change the impression that the viewer perceives.. If the tempo is manic and hyper over such a calm scene, the inference could be that the character is spinning out on the inside, getting to a boiling point, or perhaps that they are processing dense information in a very intellectual way. Take the same scene and make it really slow, and draggy, and the viewer may get the impression that the character is depressed, or in a sleepy daze. Perhaps it alludes to the idea that this person is drunk or stoned on the job.

Bringing It All Together

Music has such a massive impact when paired with visual imagery. I recall watching a documentary about the movie “Halloween” directed by John Carpenter, who also created the iconic score that just about everyone knows. In the documentary they explained how when they first screened the movie without soundtrack how people thought it was boring, and the polling results were less than favorable, but as soon as they added the tension of the theme melody, that the audience became enthralled, captivated, and very scared.. The introduction of the music provided the missing element of the impending danger, despite the otherwise mundane nature of the scene. The same happened with Jaws; the shark didn’t even need to be in the shot, but the melody did the work of informing the audience that it was present, and lurking. It’s really a genius; to demonstrate presence without actually showing anything, The melody does all the work in conjunction with the instruments selected, and the tempo sets the pace of the emotional and mental response that the creator desires. Powerful stuff. The ability that music has when paired with film, it’s just simply amazing. I always thought that my life would be far more interesting if I had my own personal soundtrack; imagine being able to change your reality by just altering the arrangement, the instrumentation the tempo, and/or the intervals. Having a bad day? Turn that minor 3rd into a Perfect 5th, and make it epic, heroic even. Having a mellow day, deep in reflection, just add a jazzy 13 chord. And capture the essence of the Java Bar. The sky's the limit, and as the creator, you have the vehicle to soar to the stars and beyond. It all just comes down to this..

What Are You Wanting To Convey…?

This is the MOST important question to explore when you are weaving a tapestry of sound and feelings. What are you trying to say to the listener or viewer? How can you best capture the essence of the moment, and what is at your disposal to color it the way you envision?.. Take the time to consider all of this the next time you record or write.

In Closing:

I’m hoping that this blog provides some helpful insights into the world of composition, and that you are able to find use of some of these approaches. Only one way to find out…. So get out there and play! Test your work; if you intended to write a warm, sunny day song, then show it to some people WITHOUT giving away any of the concepts or intended themes, and see if they “get it”; if they receive the message the way you intended it to be understood.

This is always the ultimate test.

Best of luck in your explorations!

Be Well.