Musical Keys, and what emotions they equal

[Fumbling on Ecstasy]

D minor **IS** the saddest of all keys. I don't know why but it makes people weep instantly when they hear it.

D minor is not a key. D minor is a mode in the key of F.

 

[M J McCabe]

Yep

This is true... it is in it's natural form. Can you say Aolean?

 

[TECHNINE]

D minor is not a key. D minor is a mode in the key of F.

Haven't you seen Spinal Tap? How can you guys miss the reference???

 

[Fumbling on Ecstasy]

Haven't you seen Spinal Tap? How can you guys miss the reference???

Oh yeah. That was actually also mentioned by devyce earlier.

 

[TECHNINE]

Drat, I missed it. Teach me to try to be funny.

 

[adambeddow]

D minor is not a key. D minor is a mode in the key of F.

It depends how you look at it, you're right saying D minor is a mode of F but many people still refer to keys as relative majors and minors.
D minor is the relative minor of F major just as F major is the relative major of D minor
Suppose it really depends on how you've been taught or learnt music theory

"Mmmmmm.......Black.......always a good choice.....it's like space without the stars!!"

 

[miamisax]

I disagree with the people who say it doesn't matter what the key is. While it's true you can make any key sound sad or happy, certain keys do sound more melancholic and sometimes happier than others.

Yo Pumpkin Man by Yoko Kanno has a bass line that's really funky. The bass line is pretty simple - you can play it after hearing it once - and after playing it in other keys, it just doesn't sound the same.

I've heard that B minor is the saddest key. C# minor is also very powerful - think Moonlight Sonata. Ab minor I've found to be much more omnious than, say, C or F minor. If you know music that generates a certain response from you, study it well enough so that you can reproduce that feeling. Sometimes it's not just the key that makes you excited or sad.

Also, you can even make someone cry with sadness from a song written in major. Classical music is full of examples.

There's no formula for creating a certain emotion, and if there was, you can be sure it would already be fully exploited.

There are some classic guidelines though - of course major/minor, but Lydian has certain eye-opening, film-like qualities, tritone relationships can also be effective - Check out the Predator soundtrack and you'll see what I mean. Alan Silvestri is the tritone king! He also did the Back to the Future theme. He wasted no time getting to the tritone in that melody.

 

[Sportsax]

If I remember right, the piano song in "This Is Spinal Tap" that was played in d minor was called "Lick My Love Pump" Even though it is played in d minor ( which can be considered a sad key ) , the titles or lyrics may affect the over-all emotional content.

 

[Fumbling on Ecstasy]

I've heard that B minor is the saddest key. C# minor is also very powerful - think Moonlight Sonata.

Moonlight Sonata is actually in C# Melodic Minor. It's slightly different from C# Minor, but it's what gives that piece it's character.

 

[miamisax]

Yes, you're right. I'm a jazz head, so "minor" to me is equivalent to "melodic minor." My apologies for not making that clearer.

 

[melodyseeker]

the preditor soundtrack is awesome, powerful **** for a top action/sci fi movie

 

[TECHNINE]

If I remember right, the piano song in "This Is Spinal Tap" that was played in d minor was called "Lick My Love Pump" Even though it is played in d minor ( which can be considered a sad key ) , the titles or lyrics may affect the over-all emotional content.

That I doubt because:

1.) it was a Mach piece incorporating elements of Mozart AND Bach.

2.) The horns and flutes weaving in and out with simple harmonies would reinforce the weep factor.

I would say it is impossible to judge a piece of music in its early stages, especially when coming from someone as Avant Garde as Nigel Tufnel. We have to trust the artiste' enough to finish the piece in the typical majestic and visionary 'Tap style.

Has anyone heard whether or not Nigel and Derek have finished drafting Saucy Jack yet???? I've been waiting for 19 years now to see that one.

"You're a naughty one, Saucy Jack..."

 

[gl2gz]

wow!! i haven't been here in awhile...(had to re-register...) and this was the first thread i checked out....this idea of "certain keys creating emotions" has fascinated me for a while....indeed i agree that it is the relationships between the keys that evoke any 'emotion,' etc, but to FUMBLING....i really like your input on this, on the first page you mentioned you had a piano teacher who taught you how certain emotions were related, or evoked by certain modes...then you went on to give the example on the "sad" - inspiring mode, which was greatly helpful....was wondering if you could expand into the other emtions, and the modes that relate, etc....(i.e. what would be a good starting point for a dramatic, intensity building piece...(for lack of a better description...lol)

now granted, i understand that these are by no means 'rules' to follow , and that using any of the mentioned keys/modes won't instantly invoke an emotion...., i'm just looking for basics here, so i can run off from the idea, and take it somewhere on my own....i usually do mostly all my songs/pieces in a 'pure minor'
scale, but i would really appreciate any input you (or anyone here...) might have, i really like this topic....seems last time i was here there wasn't this much 'intellectual' (again, for lack of better word...) discussion.....thanks again...!!

 

[jgraber]

harmonic minor gives you a spanish feel.

when you say pure minor.. do you mean natural minor?

 

[Fumbling on Ecstasy]

harmonic minor gives you a spanish feel.

when you say pure minor.. do you mean natural minor?

actually, harmonic minor gives you a middle eastern Egyptian feel.

TO GL2GZ:

For a dramitic intensity building piece, my piano teacher used to highly recommend mixolydian. Most chase scenes in movies are written in that key he says.

 

[jgraber]

actually, harmonic minor gives you a middle eastern Egyptian feel.

It's also spanish... (I'm half spaniard, aight?) It also has that middle eastern feel because remember there was a large jewish and muslim concentration in Spain from about 711-1492. Remember the Moors?

 

[gl2gz]

thanks fumbling, that was exactly what i was lookin for!!
the chase scene type thing....perfect!!

oh, and yes, natural minor is what i was referring to....
i never liked melodic minor.

 

[Fumbling on Ecstasy]

It's also spanish... (I'm half spaniard, aight?) It also has that middle eastern feel because remember there was a large jewish and muslim concentration in Spain from about 711-1492. Remember the Moors?

dude, I may be old but I'm not that old Yeah, I was playing around with the harmonic minor and it did have a spanish feel. It depends on where you start in the scale. I typically start from the 6th and 7th, which gives you the Egytpian sound.

 

[miamisax]

The b2 is what gives you the Spanish feel, mainly, which is why you can maybe use harm minor for Spanish sounds. If you follow the b2 with b3, b2, and then 1 again (in a chord progression especially), it's even more Spanish sounding. Check out the Mask of Zorro soundtrack, or the jazz standard La Fiesta.

Generally, Phrygian = Spanish, Mid-Eastern = harmonic minor, but I've heard Spanish sounding music played in harmonic minor, albeit not much. If you're looking for a Spanish feel, I think you're better off sticking with Phrygian.

The mode in the harmonic minor system that comes closest to sounding Spanish than Mid-Eastern is the 5th mode - Phrygian nat3. So no matter what system of music you're playing in, for Spanish sounds, your best bet is Phrygian.

 

[Al_Sween]

arbitrary but...

i know people that think the key of e-flat is annointed cause a l ot of shouts start off of it lol